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Relative difficulty: Easy? (7:21 while very distracted)
THEME: Repeated syllables — Theme answers read as A-B-C-B-A
Theme answers:
Word of the Day: TOUCH-ME-NOTS ([Like pansies, but not touch-me-nots] for HARDY) —
- [Starting with an X in the corner, say?] for TIC TAC TOE TACTIC
- [Rocket launcher that makes a whimsical buzzing sound?] for KAZOO BAZOOKA
- [Become a leading citizen of North Dakota?] for GO FAR IN FARGO
- [Disrespected adviser?] for TORMENTED MENTOR
Word of the Day: TOUCH-ME-NOTS ([Like pansies, but not touch-me-nots] for HARDY) —
The seed pods have five valves which coil back rapidly to eject the seeds in a process called explosive dehiscence or ballistochory. This reaction is where the name 'touch-me-not' comes from; in mature seed pods, dehiscence can easily be triggered with a light touch.
• • •
I thought this puzzle was adorable! I am typically not a fan of "wacky" clues / entries but these all seemed just plausible enough to be fun and silly. (KAZOO BAZOOKA was the least plausible, and therefore the least fun, but it made up for it with the silly letters I think.) This also had the extra bonus where I thought "okay, I get it, repetitive sounds" and then I realized that they follow a perfect pattern (A-B-C-B-A) phonetically and in terms of spelling. Normally, themes being Technical for the sake of being Technical doesn't do much for me (I mention this specifically because when Jeff Chen reviews puzzles, he adores this quality which he sometimes refers to as a theme being "tight"), but in this case, I was won over!
Things I didn't like.... not a ton! I think YER is a bad entry (my bar for "bad" is that if I were making a puzzle and the only option was YER I would stop and change something to make sure that entry didn't make it in) but it was the only one that jumps out to me. The theme answers are so fun to say aloud, and while I don't think the other clues and entries were exceptionally glowing or delightful, enough of them connected with me (see the bullets) that I had a great time.
Oh, and one final paragraph to discuss ice cream, in light of [Possible response to "Who wants ice cream?!"] for I DO. First of all, I always want ice cream. I can not think of a time or place where I would say no (or "I don't") to ice cream. Second of all, I am living in ice cream hell in my Walkable Coastal Elite City. Each day, the train spits me out in front of a boutique ice cream parlor which sells insane flavors like "everything bagel" and charges $7.50 for one scoop (yes you read that correctly) and I succumb an embarrassing amount. It is truly my fatal flaw. (Although to be clear, I succumb to paying a lot of money, not to ordering a dumb flavor. I get (non-vegan) chocolate fudge brownie because I am a traditionalist.) Please comment below how much one scoop of ice cream costs at a parlor in your town. (DO NOT include grocery store prices please!! That's different.)
 |
| VL means Van Leeuwen |
Bullets:
- [Autobiographical heroine of the "Little House" series] for LAURA — I grew up reading the Little House books (never saw the show) and the descriptions of food will stick with me forever. I still think about the blackbird pie that Ma made after Pa was able to shoot down the pests attacking their crops, with the meat falling off the bone and the flaky golden crust.
- [Like everyone on March 17, it's said] for IRISH — I have never heard this line, but I love the concept. It makes me think of attending Indian weddings, where we take enormous pleasure in dressing every guest, regardless of ethnicity, in traditional garb.
- [Activist Abrams] for STACEY — Lots to say about STACEY Abrams, but my favorite detail is that she writes romance novels under a pen name!! I am a romance aficionado (I like contemporary realistic fiction) so if you have any recs, please share below. For me, "Red, White, and Royal Blue" and "The Soulmate Equation" are all-time faves.
- [Fey who wrote "Bossypants"] for TINA — I loved "Bossypants!" I will never forget the advice she gave about crying in the office but being nervous people won't take your seriously because now you're A Woman Who Cries-- she said if you really, really need to cry, do it because it'll scare people into submission. Speaking from experience, I agree!
- [Starters] for A-TEAM — It took me ages to parse this, I was reading it as "ate am" and trying to relate it to "appetizers" and just kind of shrugged until I eventually got there.
I made an appointment with my podiatrist because my foot digits developed a minty aroma. He told me I have a case of TIC-TAC TOE.
ReplyDeleteWell shucky darns...I'd say this was adorbs as well. Who doesn't like a KAZOO BAZOOKA for a pick-me-up little pajama party? Speaking of which... I have to change from PJ'S to maybe a TEE when I want to be informal at home. Something about night wear/morning wear that needs changing.
ReplyDeleteSo I get to 32D and wonder what kind of gas station is illegal in New Jersey. SELF SERVE????? When did that happen????Why did that happen???? Did Chris Christie put the kibosh on that one? I haven't had anyone pump my gas for me since....well I don't even know where I'm going with this. I think the last time I saw a station that did that was the last of the tie wearing, smiley, "can I check your oil" attendants here in Sacramento that my Mom went to. For some reason, this incredibly smart, funny, educated women, was scared the gas pump might spew gas. I took over the job and made sure she was always tanked up. Here in Sacramento, If you're disabled, you have to get out of your car and ring for an attendant to come do the deed for you. Problem is they never come out.
On to the rest of the puzzle....
Did anyone else have DENTIST for 7 D? Of course not...It was DYE JOB for sure.
My favorite cutesy answer today: OUT DOORSY...Isn't that just so KAZOO BAZOOKA?
Are we going to have another TIC TAC TOE epiphany?
I've run out of words.....
O
I’ve lived in NJ over twenty years and it has always been that way. People in NJ like it that way (but other states may think we are spoiled). Naturally, that answer was almost a gimme for me.
DeleteIt exists in some other states, too. Oregon is the same.
DeleteI think it's ostensibly meant to promote jobs, but I could be wrong. I'm basing that on something a local told me 20 years ago.
Since 1949, actually. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/74549/why-cant-you-pump-your-own-gas-new-jersey
DeleteNo self serve since 1949, actually.
DeleteNope, Oregon now allows self serve. NJ is the last bastion; it has *always* been this way. And I hate having to get gas in a rental car in another state. Who wants to smell like gasoline?
DeleteI think it was originally a safety issue - keeping smokers and "over-fillers" away from the pumps. Lately, job loss has been cited by proponents. Many of my peers in NJ support self-serve because they believe lower costs will lead to lower prices...dream on! I like not having to hop out in the cold and rain. (BTW, I'm not sure, but I think OR has relaxed their ban.)
DeleteActually, Oregon just got rid of that law; I think NJ is the only remaining state to require full serve.
DeleteOkay now we REALLY know that Will is messing with us. Didn't some commenter here use a phrase very similar to TIC TAC TOE TACTICS just like dbyd?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the theme, the cadence is spot on. Why Jeff Chen chose Monday over this, I dunno.
Malaika, that "When the Sun Goes Down" is a lovely tune but how on earth can you solve a crossword with those busily meaningful lyrics blaring? We must have very different brains.
[Spelling Bee: Tue currently -2, missing a 5er and 7er.]
Easy-medium. Breezy and mildly amusing (i.e. KAZOO BAZOOKA) liked it.
ReplyDelete....and speaking of adorable, great write up @Malaika.
@Joaquin from yesterday - Pretty close.
ReplyDelete@Malaika: Your writeup may be the first time I've ever seen "beautiful" as a modifier for "spreadsheet."
@GILL I: Yes, it's true. Here in New Jersey every gas station is "full serve." A gas station can get fined if they let customers pump their own gas. And this isn't new; it's been true since before I moved here in 1969.
Kealoa dolES before METES at 1D delayed seeing MIC. epeE before PACE for the duel unit at 4D. Once I got past the NW and NNW I had @Rex's "Whoosh Whoosh" experience.
Barbara – you speaka my language! I. Loved. This.
ReplyDeleteA while back, I noticed that you could reverse the syllables of skype and get pesky. But I couldn’t do anything with it. Putin’s input, Monde demon, start-up upstart (Yo, Elan Musk) , only Lyon. . . Pffft. Barbara, you rock! ! You came up with terrific phrases where the first two and last two syllables ended up ended.
Maliaika – my favorite was KAZOO BAZOOKA. Barbara – genius find there. (Hi, @GILL I).
These are not semilordinaps. When I was considering an avatar, I was first thinking stuff like faced the decaf, swapped his paws, laced the decal… but caught my mistake. Flip the syllables, not the letters. This phenomenon needs its own name. What, though? lablesyl? Nah. Actually, my avatar doesn’t really work because eddy, when flipped, becomes only one syllable. (See also: pesky/skype.)
Loved the clue for I WISH. I’ve been working summer school for weeks, but CMS messed up our summer pay, and I haven’t received Any compensation yet. Ah, to be paid. “Wouldn’t that be nice?” Happily, I live with Mom and don’t pay rent, but I have lots of colleagues who are scrambling to find money to pay their rent. (CMS doesn’t offer us the option of spreading our pay over 12 months, so we don’t get a paycheck for June or July.) You can talk all day about setting aside money for the summer blah blah blah… No one manages to do that; the pay is just too meager. Hence, many teach summer school, needing the money. And now they’re not getting it. Talk about adding insult to injury. Jeez. Be kind to a teacher today. Everything you hear/read about our lot is true.
When I was a lurker here, I kinda thought most of the commentariat was ARTY, and I didn’t dare comment lest my decidedly non-arty slip showed. I don’t know opera, I watch Bravo tv, I listen to pedestrian music, I read vapid books. I love me a Big Mac. But finally I couldn’t keep my mouth shut and commented, hoping that maybe there were other non-ARTY lurkers out there who wouldn’t judge me. After a while, I realized that the commenters here, though maybe more highbrow than I am, are largely accepting and kind. I love this community and tell people that this blog is the entirety of my social life. No, really. I work, go home, see to Mom’s needs, watch some stupid tv, and go to bed. Y’all here are truly my social life. My sister tries to include me in all the parties with her tennis friends, but while nice, they’re just not My People, and I haven’t been able to go all in with them. Nothing would please me more than to be invited to a party with you guys. *That* would be a hoot. (That’s why the ACPT is the highlight of my year.)
Hey! Wait! I’m currently reading a non-vapid book - the Pulitzer Prize-winning, Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver. It’s as devastating as it is beautiful. There are worlds and worlds of meanings in almost every sentence. The voice she gives Demon is uncannily spot-on. His account of all of his horrific trials and tribulations tugs at my heart bigtime. I teach so many like Demon (the protagonist), so many kids subjected to CPS, foster care, neglect, indifference. The courage, the resilience of my students is beyond humbling.
If I didn’t have to live with Mom and had no other obligations and had a crap ton of money, I’d move back to Ridgewood, NJ, a tony little town, beautiful houses, manicured lawns, sidewalks. . . it’s pretty much like living in a Norman Rockwell painting. Anyhoo, the gas is never SELF SERVE (Hi, @GILL I). Man, I loved that. Just roll down my window and ask for a fill-up. For some reason, a great many of the gas attendants were Turkish. When the guy would hand me my receipt, I’d say, teşekkür ederim (Thank you). He’d say, Bleofosiifnekduygheke gyhe dnghd gpoe. - no idea what it meant – and I’d sadly shake my head and say, Türkçe bilmiyorum (I don’t speak Turkish) as I drove off, checking my rearview mirror that he was indeed standing there staring at my car, like wtf just happened.
Can not imagine the blog without you writing! Not nearly as much fun.
DeleteLoved "Demon Copperhead." May have to read (re-read?) "David Copperfield," one of Barbara Kingsolver's inspirations
DeleteYes, I knew that! Watched several interviews & facilitated a book club discussion on DC. I'm a big reader ... so would have to review my reading list to identify my recent favorite but DC was among my top reads. Happy to share book recommendations privately
DeleteSounds like Malaika lives by a Jeni's Ice Cream. We have a few of those in Northern Virginia and the prices seem in line with everything else around here so I don't balk as much at the cost. My wife tried got the everything bagel flavor and it was awful. My favorite is the gooey butter cake.
ReplyDeleteBlew through this one like it was M-TU level, difficulty wise. Cute, laid-back, harmless theme and a fun puzzle. I don’t have any empirical evidence to support it, but there does seem to be a correlation there, at least in my experience. Tomorrow is gimmicky Thursday, so we’ll see if the theory has merit this week as well.
ReplyDeleteI DO want ice cream. I WISH I had ice cream. I CAN have ice cream even though it’s 6:30 a.m. I RISH … coffee ice cream?
ReplyDeleteLots of emphatic I statements today. If Rex were here, would he object? Does that make the puzzle “loose” to Jeff Chen and other purists? Speaking of which, I liked the theme and the wackiness, but I think Rex would have pointed out that TORMENTED MENTOR doesn’t work as well because it loses a T when you switch the syllables of the first word to make the second. Doesn’t bother me, but makes it a little less “tight”?
Yes, all of us who complained about our Natick on TIT/TAT or TIc/TAc the other day are being TORMENTED this week with daily recurrences. When the first theme answer started to appear, I wondered whether WS rushed a Tic Tac themed puzzle into production.
Thanks for another great writeup, Malaika. I am with you on feeling the daily joy of fresh tomatoes but mine comes with a dash of frenzied guilt. I have seven plants, all producing and, while I give them away, I also want to take advantage while I can. My fridge is stuffed with gazpacho, salsa, pasta sauce, whatever I can make to use them up. Let’s not even talk about the cucumbers and squash. It’s a great problem to have. Worth it to learn how to can?
@LMS thanks for the rec on Demon Copperhead. It’s next on my list since I love Barbara Kingsolver. I have to finish The Wager first - I highly recommend it as a gripping true story of an ill-fated 18th century ship that wrecked in Chile and produced two competing groups of survivors, each accusing the other of crimes on the high seas. I meant to mention it yesterday when ARMADA was in the puzzle because The Wager (the name of the ship) had set out to try to sink Spanish galleons. I’d love others’ recs for summer books!
Long-time lurker who REALLY enjoys the posts on this page. Tomatoes- dehydrate and store in sealed containers in the freezer. Canning is too messy and too bulky.
DeleteIt was easy.
ReplyDeleteIt was quick.
It was reasonably clean.
It had a clever, kind of goofy theme.
And yet I don't care about any of that because all I can think about is how ridiculously we've all just been played.
*Slow clap*
Special honors from yesterday to @Eli for his Ikea-Allen wrench association and @Anonymous 7:45 AM for predicting TACTIC.
They are reading these comments and trolling us. No question.
DeleteCute theme - well filled for the most part. Love the wacky stuff - KAZOO, TORMENTED etc. MOLLIFY down the center is top notch. Grid was a little heavy with trivia.
ReplyDeleteUnlike Malaika - ice cream is not one of my vices so I offer no input. I have been known to enjoy a good mezcal - add POLENTA and we’re good.
Not sure what an activist is in the modern world but we get two today. Learned JUDO.
Enjoyable Wednesday solve.
STONEd Soul Picnic
TOE BA IN TED? What is that supposed to mean?
ReplyDeleteI liked this much, much, much less than it appears others did. Nonsense clues leading to nonsense answers. If Barbara Lin had found four in-the-language phrases to build this, I'd be all admiration. But KAZOO BAZOOKA? Really?
$7.50 for a scoop of ice cream is about average here.
@loren -- I second your praise of "Demon Copperfield", one of my favorite reads last year. Did you know that on a vacation, once, Barbara Kingsolver stayed at a place where Dickens once lived, and while she sat at the actual desk where he wrote "David Copperfield" -- this while she was wrestling over the concept for this book -- she heard him tell her to put it in the voice of the main character, which resulted in that spot-on voice of which you speak.
ReplyDeleteI know this is true because I heard it from her mouth at a stop on her tour for this book.
Oh, what a sweet conceit! Syllabic palindroming!
ReplyDeleteI loved GO FAR IN FARGO for its elegance. I loved KAZOO BAZOOKA because of how it rolls off the tongue, both forward and backwards (AKOOZA BOOZAK).
I liked CACTI crossing TIC TAC because the latter is made out of the letters of the former. I liked the trio of palindromes echoing the theme (YAY, EVE, AKA). I felt on a first name basis with the puzzle, which featured nine given names (counting EVE). And my heart melted at two words I adore: MOLLIFY and MEWL.
I wish there was another word for “fun”, which is used so much it loses its fun feel. But what other word is there with that meaning? “Amusing”, yes, but that sounds so clinical. “Rollicking”, to me, tries too hard.
Anyway, Barbara, this puzzle, for me, was full of fresh fun. My heart sings at wordplay like this, and a singing heart is a precious gift. Thank you so much for making this!
Fun puzzle & writeup. In case you don’t know, “yer out” is a standard umpire utterance. Never “you’re out.” This is just the way it is.
ReplyDelete$3.50-$5.00 in Louisville. But we don’t have place that make Everything Bagel Ice Cream, sounds awesome! Although every other ice cream parlor has a bourbon flavored something.
ReplyDeleteForget ice cream at $7.50 a scoop. Freeze a ripe banana in peeled slices. Blend with a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter and a tablespoon of dark cocoa. A drop of milk or cream to help it blend. Try it, you’ll like it!
ReplyDelete@lms
ReplyDeleteFirst time commenting. Fellow North Carolinian here. Love your posts. Reading “Demon Copperhead” now and have thought of you and your students.
One scoop here in Durham, $4.50
Would someone please explain how ZED is the answer for 26 Down? I wrote in ZEe and then couldn’t figure out what the heck an eELAY was! Lol
ReplyDeleteBlitz ends in z, which is "zed" to the Brits. Clever clue!
Delete@Anderw Z (of all things) if no one has responded, Z is the last letter of Blitz, London tells you to use the British form
DeleteThx, Barbara; a 'gritty' effort, but not too 'corny' for my taste! 😋
ReplyDeleteHi Malaika, good to see you; thx for your take! 😊
Med (time-wise, but felt tougher).
Felt not quite on B.L.'s wavelength for this one.
Catchy theme. Not sure if there's a name for this kind of wordplay. Also wondering about TOE BA IN TED (hi @kitshef).
They (whoever 'they' are) sure seem to be rubbing in the TIC TACs lately. LOL
Anyhoo, lighthearted fun, this was. Enjoyed it very much! :)
___
Anna's New Yorker Mon. was relatively easy (NYT Sat. med-hard). Had an egregious gaff on a phrase that I wasn't sure of, and the crosses didn't look right, but forgot to revisit them before filling in the final cell. 😔
___
Peace 🕊 🇺🇦 ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness ~ Freudenfreude ~ Serendipity ~ & a DAP to all 👊 🙏
Loved it.
ReplyDelete@gubdude, she literally names Van Leeuwen ice cream in the post.
ReplyDeleteLMS@ 5:48 I loved your post!
ReplyDeleteNow on to getting out of bed & proceed with the day. I'll be back later.
Oh & good morning Malaika - always good to see you!
ReplyDelete@jberg here. Our house is being painted, and one of the painters accidentally cut our internet cable while scraping—so hear I am on my phone.
ReplyDeleteI loved the puzzle, but am wondering about starting with an X in the corner? Doesn’t everybody start in the center?
I knew they pumped your gas for you on the NJ Turnpike, but didn’t realize it was a state-wide practice. Crosswords are so educational!
Hi Malaika! I enjoyed your write up as much as the puzzle! I live in Huntington, NY. A medium soft serve and a shake is $15 at Carvel. If you go on Weds the ice cream is B1G1 free. Hey,today's Weds!
ReplyDelete@Loren Muse Smith thanks for the recommendation! It sounds like it would be a great pick for my bookclub.
@Lewis, thanks for sharing your Kingsolver tidbit. Very cool.
Oregon has fallen. You can pump your own gas there now. Jersey, like the cheese, stands alone.
ReplyDeleteI live in Jersey so it's a real treat for me to be able to pump my own when I'm driving out of state. I love asking my wife "Check the oil, ma'am?"
In case your life has been lacking a kazoo version of "My Heart Will Go On,"
I refer you to the following, for your listening displeasure. I burst out laughing at one point, but that's me (ymmv).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsp63GYPcT4&t=42s
I'm only at the top of the puzzle and NYT denials of creating mini-themes and then gaslighting us with Meinhoff-Bader effect is really stretching credulity with TICTACTOETACTIC. Apparently guest blogger Eli is in on it with the IKEA preview from yesterday. Onto the rest of the puzzle...
ReplyDeleteDitto @Lewis. Great fun, and then a lovely write-up from Malaika to top it off! And Lewis, Akooza Boozak would make a terrific alias.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw 16A, I laughed out loud. Based on the comments over the last few days, it was clear that several heads were going to explode this morning. It had to be planned.
ReplyDeleteBased on @LMS's recommendation (and others herein), I have Demon Copperhead on my list to read next.
Also second the recommendation for The Wager. So amazing because it is true, with the ships logs quoted heavily and to devastating effect.
Two other must-reads: Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese (can't praise it high enough) and Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles.
NJ gas: I Gill, you may be thinking of Chris Christie because he is the one who finally put tax on gas in NJ. It used to be worth it to drive over to NJ to fill your tank from Manhattan AND pay the GWB toll (back when it was 4$, not the insane current $15) because it was 70 cents cheaper per gallon. When a Democrat says you need to engage the military or a Republican says you need to raise taxes, you probably do.
ReplyDeleteThe other interesting thing in NJ across the bridge is the blue laws that keep all the retail on Routes 4 and 17 closed on Sundays. That is one of the densest and frequently high end shopping corridors anywhere, and to think that the people have won out over commerce to this day is stunning.
This year, we have some hearty fire escape tomatoes, only the cherry ones fit in the hanging planter box.
A hearty second in favor of YER out!
@DCDeb - that is a Vitamix favorite in our household, esp. since we either eat all our bananas in 2 days, or leave them all out for a week and have to freeze them.
@Andrew Z - blitz's last letter is ZED, the way you say/spell it in England/Canada.
Hey All !
ReplyDeleteAmazing ... TICTACTOE TACTIC. Har. It's all downhill from here...
Neat idea. Some unusual words today, DYEJOB, MOLLIFY, INTER, LAMAZE.
epee for PACE first, like I'm guessing 97% of solvers had. Put in D_H and waited on the cross. Luckily TRIO was unambiguous. ARTY has a strange clue.
The outlier seems to be TORMENTED MENTOR, as the first word is TORMENT, not TORMEN, so it doesn't follow exactly the whole first part reversed. The T gets lost somewhere.
Still, a nice puz. Yes it WAS. No SELF SERVE gas in NJ? That's strange. Fits for NJ! 😁
Two F's
RooMonster
DarrinV
Andrew Z. Zed is British for zee
ReplyDelete@Andrew Z. — the letter Z is “Zee” here but “Zed” in the UK. This has confused many, many tourists. —@jberg
ReplyDeleteLong time Jersey resident.
ReplyDeleteOne of my daughter’s prize possessions is tee shirt that reads, “Jersey girls don’t pump gas!”.
She now lives in Virginia.
Hey, @LMS, will you be my Valentine?
Well, I got one of those "oops there's a problem" messages from Blogger. Sometimes my post will go through in spite of those, but this time it didn't, so I'm trying to remember what I said.
ReplyDeleteI know I said this one was wacky and I like wacky. Also that $7.50 in these parts will get you two scoops, and this along with the comparatively coolish temperatures this summer might make some of you think about moving to this part of the world, in spite of the winters.
Also agreed with @LMS that our little community is a large and important part of my mornings, and keeping up with the commentary during the day is always interesting, so thanks to everyone.
Thanks to BL for a couple of Belly Laughs and a lot of smiles. You slowed me down with "bread boxes" (har!) but that was about it, and thanks for all the fun.
Mostly easy because of a dearth of misdirect clues. I had BAWL before MEWL, so that held me up for a while. OUTDOORSY fits the clue perfectly, even if it isn't an actual word.
ReplyDeleteTICTACTOETACTIC was a beautiful theme answer...GOFARINFARGO also excellent. My compliments to the constructor.
I guess Malaika is too young for "Yer Out!". It's always spelled that way.
ReplyDeleteI burst out laughing at TIC-TAC-TOE TACTIC. @Joaquin and @Anonymous for the win. Or more specifically, our very bored and very lonely slush pile editor who's run out of ASS puzzles this week, and chosen to ride our TICTAC TITTAT troubles to town. Will says stuff like this is coincidental, and it's probable -- except when it's not.
ReplyDeleteAnd @Rafa comes in second place seeing into the future with IKEA ALLEN wrenches.
Excellent. Lovely puzzle. I read every theme entry several times and couldn't quite see the ABCBA pattern, so @Malaika to the rescue. Love the rhythm in the way they roll off your tongue. This thing was built by a poet with a sense of humor.
MEWL is reserved for baby kittens in crosswords only. Otherwise, it seems like a fake word.
Looking back over the puzzle there's a lot of names, but they must've been wheelhouse names since I'm not all agitated. Great job @Barbara!
Uniclues:
1 Installs cash machines that ask, "Do you really think this is how you should be handling your finances?" before spitting out one measly $20 bill.
2 Celtic sheep-forward grappling uniforms (and boy the itch makes you wanna fight).
3 The ones in your neighbor's yard who hates dogs on his lawn and so he edged his place with attack plants.
4 Where the fast underwear is kept.
5 Adam's proud admission after a few beers.
6 Assurance all gallery-opening attendees are people with measurable IQs living in Florida.
1 METES PRIG ATMS
2 IRISH JUDO WOOL
3 SELF SERVE CACTI
4 A-TEAM DRAWER
5 I DO MOLLIFY EVE
6 EACH ARTY HARDY
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: Backward billionaire bash. MUSK DWARF EVIL (srsly read it backward).
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I saw TIC TAC TOE TACTIC off the first "T" of TACTIC and I smiled.
ReplyDelete"Oh, that has to be KAZOO BAZOOKA," I thought, even though I have never heard of such a weapon.
I guessed GO FAR IN FARGO just off the "F" of FARGO, but I waited to write it in to make sure I was right.
My thoughts on TORMENTED MENTOR? I'd much rather be "disrespected" than TORMENTED and therefore don't think the clue is quite strong enough.
A breezy and easy puzzle. I learned that JUDO means "way of gentleness" which seems like misleading advertising. And I liked the clue for MOVER and the answer OUTDOORSY. A pleasant solve.
I first got my driver license in Oregon - no self serve. College in Mass - no car. Moved to NYC - no car. Moved to NJ - no self serve. Moved back to Oregon 40+ years ago - no self serve. 2023 legislature passed law allowing self serve - no veto. Do I want to learn how to pump gas at my advanced age - no way.
ReplyDeleteLoved the wacky theme today. In Milwaukee it's all about the custard and folks abuzz as to which stand is best. I can walk to Leon's for a chocolate double dip, and hear the lady with the voice from 45 years of smoking rasp out "Two Up Chocolate!" She is no longer working there but they still have a loose meat sandwhich they call a Spanish Hamburger.
ReplyDeleteLife long Jerseyite here, and the official reason we can't pump our own gas is that the men are too stupid and the women too dainty and too stupid. Just ask Chris Christy - he said so. I think he's doing some projecting there, at least about the men. That wasn't fair, he really isn't stupid. He's an immoral, lying bastard, but not a stupid one.
ReplyDeleteThe last time I bought a scoop of ice cream was less than a year ago, and it was about $7.50, so $10 with tax and tip. It was only one scoop, but a ginormous scoop, so I couldn't complain about the price. You have to be more precise about the serving size than "a scoop" to have a real discussion.
The Allen wrench seems to be having its day in the Sun here crossworld. I wish we could settle on just one or two configurations for screws and bolts. Like why do they still make slot screws? They're the least useful of any of the alternatives, whatever savings one gets from their relative simplicity is way overshadowed by their total uselessness. We're left with Phillips, Allen head, Torx, Square and some strange Canadian thing. Let's just pick two - Phillips to replace the flat screwdriver & [I don't care, I just hate having to have a complete set of all of them, some in both metric and Imperial].
Down here in Birmingham we have a single scoop for $4ish depending on where you go. Still love to get a tub of Cookie Two Step from BlueBell though. Hard to beat.
ReplyDeleteI think Fred Flintstone used to say KAZOOBAZOOKAzoo when he needed a little more oomph and emphasis than “yabba dabba doo” could provide.
ReplyDeleteNext time I get married, I’m going to have the officiant ask, “@EGSforbreakfast, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife and do you want ice cream?”
Could it be that we’re being softened up for the introduction of the next NYT game —— Tic-Tac-Toe? I mean, a lot of our commenters have RUEd the dumbing down of the crossword. If the Gray Lady thinks there’s a big market for dumb games, Tic-Tac-Toe might be perfect. The WORDLE-bot could even give you a post-game analysis: An X in the center was a good move. I win 61.26% of games when I make this move. But the lower left corner would have been more efficient.
Very fun puzzle with a nice concept. Right up my alley. Thanks, Barbara Lin
Haven't bought ice cream in the US in a long time, but in Germany it's usually 1,50 euro so we get 2 and give the server 4 euro and all's right with the world (plus a huge grin from the server because tipping isn't really a thing, you just round up most of the time, which people don't do for super small amounts).
ReplyDeletePuzzle was fastest of the week, under 7, no pr but still fast. Names skewed "easy for older", like DESI.
Speaking of which we saw Oppenheimer yesterday and there was a trailer for some scary thing I wouldn't spend money on *but* at some point the music from The Exorcist plays and I thought, now a whole new generation will have those notes burned into their brains...
Happy 91st birthday to the late, great Peter O’Toole!
ReplyDeleteOnce they called him
‘old and fusty’.
Here he lies,
musty and dusty.
~ Burma Shave
@Andrew Z @7:56
ReplyDeleteZed is how the Brits (and Kiwis & Ozzies) say the letter Z (last letter of blitz).
Oh, man … early on, I immediately went with TITTATTATERTOTS for 16-Across. Lost precious nanoseconds.
ReplyDeleteFunny theme. Like.
staff weeject picks: REY & YER. Seems like a real apt pair, for this puz.
other fave stuff: STANK [but wanted STUNK]. OUTDOORSY. MOLLIFY [which required m&e to get almost every crossin letter]. LAMAZE. ZED clue.
Thanx for the fun, Ms. Lin darlin. Good job. U2, @Malaika darlin.
Masked & Anonymo2Us
**gruntz**
I can’t get over the ice cream prices on this blog. Is no one else blanching at $7.50 for a scoop (even if ample in size)? I know there’s a vast difference between ice cream parlor and supermarket prices, but still. I wait for Turkey Hill half gallons to go on sale for $3. Then I grab a spoon and wolf it down while the attendant is filling my tank.
ReplyDeleteMy wife accuses me of breaking a house rule and eating it directly from the carton, which, of course, I do. But I deny it vehemently. She bases her case on the smallish spoonmarks I leave in the remains, but that’s circumstantial evidence, I cry.
Cute Wednesday puzzle. I filled in KAZOO BAZOOKA and the syllable swap didn't ring as clearly as 16A so I didn't really get the theme until TIC TAC TOE TAC TIC filled in. Cool!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could remember how much I paid for two scoops of ice cream the last time I bought it at a parlor, which was in Iceland. I wouldn't be surprised if it was $7.50+ per scoop because everything is expensive there. I did buy an ice cream bar there at a convenience store that was black-pepper flavored. I'm still trying to decide if I liked it or not. I finished it anyway.
Fun puzzle, Barbara!
ReplyDeletewonderful puzzle just one Nit... it's really 'Angst ridden mentor' for palindrome to make 'actual' sense..
ReplyDeleteyou could be tormented and still be respected the list is endless..
I love the "When the Sun Goes Down" reference. I'm still mad they cut that from the movie!
ReplyDeleteAHA! I know the town where Malaika lives, and could have walked a few miles to her favorite pricey ice cream parlor, which did not exist when I used to visit my parents in Lake San Marcos (North County San Diego). Indeed, I think one of my cousins may still own a rental in her town. No matter. I grew up with Baskin-Robbins, and still love their ice cream, especially their Chocolate Fudge. I guarantee you they don't charge $5 a scoop.
ReplyDeleteI laughed and laughed at KAZOOBAZOOKA. Best of the bunch, I thought.
I have lived for 45 years across the street from a gas station which for a very modest fee will fill your tank for you, check the oil and water, and tell you if you need a new tire. All you have to do is pull up to the pump and honk your horn. A lot of their business comes from routine auto maintenance jobs. When needed, I just have to walk across the street and toss them the keys.
@Andrew 7:56 I'lm probably way late ansewring your question. Zed is what the Brits call the letter we
ReplyDeletecall Zee
@Pete, re screws, the square / Canadian one is called Robertson, and is vastly superior to the others. Usually you can simply push the screw onto the screwdriver and it will stay there, leaving your other hand free. In fact with the #8 size (my favorite), you can actually flip the screwdriver in the air with the screw on the end, and catch it, and the screw will stay there.
ReplyDelete@Mr. Cheese: yes.
ReplyDeleteHey Malaika, just so you know, I count a Malaika Wednesday as a very good thing, and look forward to your analyses and comments. I’m also a huge fan of “In the Heights,” and the finger snaps get me every time too.
ReplyDeleteWhile I wasn’t over the moon for the slim theme materials, it works and points out yet again noteworthy things about language and usage.
To me the puzzle other than the theme was better than the theme. Easy Wednesday material, a few pretty common names and saying KAZOO BAZOOKA made me chuckle. Just sounds sorta funny.
Any time I am reminded of Fargo, I think about a kids’ show my daughter used to watch that had a detective character named “Fargo North Decoder.” The name of the show escapes me.
For some reason, I thought this was more fun but no more challenging than Monday or Tuesday this week. It also gave me pandemic lockdown memories of me doing meetings via Zoom with my PJS on the bottom and all suited up for the camera angle from the waist up. And I know I am not alone in that regard. What a year! Hopefully we have learned from this disaster and will do all we can to avoid a repeat experience. I did read yesterday that CDC will be releasing a 🦠 booster this fall. As someone with a highly compromised immune system, I doubt I could be fortunate enough to miss being infected a second time.
Talk about a train derailment! Ah, it was the PJS. So, this was quick and easy with a clever but sparse theme and easier than they could have been names. Good job Barbara Lin and keep watering those gorgeous tomatoes Malaika! Hope you’re back next Wednesday.
@Mr. Cheese 9:35 and @Loren 1:50
ReplyDeleteAll he had to do was ask???!!!
Malaika, I lived in India for three years, (in Bangalore/Bengaluru) and attended many weddings. I always wore traditional garb - including a kurta & mundu when I was at a Malayali wedding in Kerala. The mundu was a gift from the bride's father.
ReplyDeleteChiming in to recommend DEMON COPPERHEAD, a fictional voice that will resonate for the ages created by the great Barbara Kingsolver. It’s a narrative feast with profound relevance to the “real world’—wise, hilarious, tragic.
ReplyDeleteAs for other exceptional summer reads: THE WAGER, mentioned above; KING (the new bio of MLK with all the triumphs and newly revealed warts); and if you like gritty mysteries, Dennis Lehane’s latest, SMALL MERCIES, is a real doozy!
I liked the puzzle, nice to see both Stacey and Cori.
Let's hear it for syllabic palindromes.
ReplyDeleteCDilly52, apparently I am your children's age - Fargo North Decoder was on the show "Electric Company" on PBS, part of an afternoon block with Sesame Street and Zoom (from which I can still sing the Boston area Zip Code: (ohhh213fooooour)
ReplyDeleteHey Malaika, love contemporsary Romance? Try D.D. Ayres K-9 Rescue Series. Start with "IRRESISTIBLE FORCE" and go from there!
ReplyDeleteMailika: Vancouver Wa across the river from Portland Or—local (not chain) ice cream shop = $5/scoop; $8/2 scoop;$10/3. Cold Stone=$6.99/scoop😇
ReplyDeletePs Vancouver Wa here again— Malaika sorry for misspelling your name first time!
ReplyDeleteWhat a discovery: TICTACTOETACTIC! Brilliant! The others are good too. this is shaping up to be quite a week. Got in with DOD TINA: JIM, MONACO, MOLLIFY and then GOFARINFARGO just off that F. The solution spread like wildfire.
ReplyDeleteGot a tad mixed up by reversing BAZOOKAKAZOO; inkfest there. Everything else was a breeze. Birdie...
And yet another in Wordle. The putter is hot!
Okay I guess. It’s just the C part of the ABCBA pattern that bugs me. The TOE, BA, IN and TED in the respective themers do not add up to anything or connect in any way. If they did, this puzzle would be epic. They don’t so it’s just okay.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is missing the point on the middle syllables.
ReplyDeleteTOE BA IN TED
The correct parsing is: Tobey ain't Ed.
Tobey who?
Why do people think he's Ed?
We must delve deeper!
Thank you Andy Freude, I call dibs on this nom de blog!
ReplyDeleteWhat @Spacey said - fine and fun Wednesday for me.
ReplyDeleteDiana, LIW
HARDY PDA
ReplyDeleteANDY WAS TORMENTED when
LAURA shouted, "YAY!".
"I GORA when PAID by men,
IDO enjoy DELAY!"
--- EVAN OWENS
oops typo
ReplyDeleteHARDY PDA
ANDY WAS TORMENTED when
LAURA shouted, "YAY!".
"I GOFAR when PAID by men,
IDO enjoy DELAY!"
--- EVAN OWENS