Sierra follower / FRI 12-29-23 / Foil to Mark Antony in "Julius Caesar" / Lock lips, to a Liverpudlian / Attire for many a Degas subject / Tacky item in a kindergarten classroom
Constructor: Robyn Weintraub
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium
THEME: none
Word of the Day: Cuba libre (12D: Cuba libre ingredient => COKE) —
Rum and Coke, or the Cuba libre (/ˌkjuːbəˈliːbreɪ/KEW-bə LEE-bray, Spanish:[ˈkuβaˈliβɾe]; literally "Free Cuba"), is a highballcocktail consisting of cola, rum, and in many recipes lime juice on ice. Traditionally, the cola ingredient is Coca-Cola ("Coke") and the alcohol is a light rum such as Bacardi; however, the drink may be made with various types of rums and cola brands, and lime juice may or may not be included.
The cocktail originated in the early 20th century in Cuba, after the country won independence in the Spanish–American War. It subsequently became popular across Cuba, the United States, and other countries. Its simple recipe and inexpensive, ubiquitous ingredients have made it one of the world's most-popular alcoholic drinks. Drink critics often consider the drink mediocre, but it has been noted for its historical significance. (wikipedia)
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Good morning and Happy Robyn Friday to all who celebrate! I actually struggled with this one more than I typically do with Robyn Weintraub puzzles, but since I rarely truly struggle, that doesn't mean very much on the ol' difficulty meter. Mainly I was getting a bit bogged down in some of the short stuff, but only for short bits of time. The long stuff still did what I expected it to do—impressed and whooshed. It's weird, though: I had a kind of deja vu, as I really thought I had seen Robyn use both SNOWBALLFIGHTS and OSCARTHEGROUCH before. Completely untrue, at least in the NYTXW, but now I'm wondering where I got that idea from. Maybe she's leaned into "Sesame Street" before. I do so many puzzles, there's no possible way I can remember where I saw such and such an answer (most of the time). Anyway, the sense of deja vu (errant though it was) did not keep me from enjoying either answer. [UPDATE: it’s not deja vu … or, rather, it literally is—I already saw (that is, listened to) Robyn construct this puzzle on a BBC podcast several months ago!] Judged by my incredibly high Robyn standards, this one had maybe a little less sizzle than I expected. There's only one really good colloquial expression ("NOT YOU TOO!?"), although I guess you could throw "IT'S A FACT!" in there too. "I DON'T MIND" is of course just fine, but it doesn't quite have the spice (despite literally sitting on TACO SAUCE). The long answers are strong and solid everywhere, and only the occasional short answer gave me any reason to feel anything close to SCORN. Stuff like ATIT LOCI in the NE and LAIC OTTO in the west (OTTO is notto so baddo (33D: Miranda who played Eowyn in "The Lord of the Rings"), but that was the only thing in the grid I'd absolutely never heard of, besides "forcola," which I assume is some kind of OARlock equivalent ... yes, although I guess it's called a "rowlock" not an "OARlock" ... oh, no, wait, look: those two words are the same ... SIGH(S), I feel better now). I don't know if this puzzle OOZES CHARM, or if I would even want that from a puzzle (rarely a fan of oozing), but this one has enough variety and pep to make for a perfectly charming Friday.
That said, FUR COATs are vile and if I never see another COEXIST bumper sticker it will be too soon. Not much on Bumper Sticker Liberalism, or bumper stickers in general. That's it for genuinely off-putting fill, though. As for the (minor) struggles, they came early on, and almost entirely on the west side of the grid (marking up your finished puzzle with green ink really gives you a strong visual idea of where you struggled the most). Really had trouble with TANGO, as ugh, the puzzle's reliance on the radio alphabet continues unabated. It's like the damn thing was invented so that crossword constructors could write tricky clues. If you want me to give you a [Sierra follower] in five letters, I'm going to give you LEONE or MADRE, and then I'm gonna cast about for some kind of phrase of brand name like, I dunno, Sierra MIST (not long enough). Complicating matters up there were STEW (13D: Mélange) and WAY (21A: Approach), neither of which were obvious to me from their clues. Curiously, wanted an equally edible SOUP for [Mélange] (after wanting OLIO a bit earlier) and wanted [Approach] to be a verb. Nearby, I had no idea how "Raspberry" was being used at 13D: Raspberry relative—I thought it was the thing you blow at someone contemptuously, so I wanted RAZZ (?!) ... and then I wanted a fruit of some kind. I don't think of either Raspberry or RUBY as a color (primarily), so that was tough. And the BUT cross was hard to pick up as well (22A: Signal for a change in direction?). But with easy-to-get long answers shooting every which way, these little trouble spots sorted themselves out fairly easily.
Other little glitches... Can never remember if it's OCTAVIAN or OCTAVIUS (36D: Foil to Mark Antony in "Julius Caesar"). Somebody asked the question about different spellings of the emperor's name on r/AskHistorians at reddit and my man wrote a whole-ass essay on Roman naming conventions, concluding with:
Octavius for his childhood, until the death of Caesar in 44 BCE.
Octavian for his period as a rising power during 44-31 BCE, after the death of Caesar and before the defeat of Marc Antony and Cleopatra.
Augustus from 31 BCE, when he "became Emperor", until his death.
Good to know! I'm just gonna assume it's all correct and one of you all will tell me if it's not. Good? Good. Moving on to more glitches. I thought [Lower] was a verb so I wrote in SADDEN ("to make ... low?") instead of SADDER. I just stared at [Match ___] and, well, after I realized it wasn't going to be GAME I got briefly depressed and my brain refused to entertain other possibilities. The crosses really had to carry the load to get me to WITS. Then there was my biggest mistake, which was really an answer I failed to write in fully. I remember *getting* "NOT YOU TOO!?" and writing it in, but apparently I did not write it all the way to the end, so I ended up with "NOT YOU TOU!?" because I initially thought that the garnish in your Cuba libre might be a CUKE (12D: Cuba libre ingredient). Cukes make wonderful garnishes for certain drinks (a Pimm's Cup, for instance), but not a Cuba libre, apparently—standard garnish there is a lime wedge. Well now I want a Pimm's Cup but it's ... [squints at computer clock] ... 5:03AM, so might hold off on that for twelve hours or so and start with coffee.
The Holiday Pet Pics continue now (please, no more submissions til next year!).
More kitties under trees!
[Bentley! (thanks, Ross)]
[Spikey! (thanks, Carolyn)]
Puppies being majestic!
[Is that a border collie? Because if any dog's got the stamina to lead the damn deer all over the world in one night, it's a border collie ... whatever Malo is, he's clearly very good (thanks, Brett)]
[Tessa rules the senior center from her throne (thanks, Robert)]
And finally a couple of kittie siblings, Odette ...
... and her brother, Swann, seen here celebrating Christmas ... Swann's way 😎
Leone and Olio for me too, and I *so* wanted Match Game. Overall I had the most trouble with the NW--it was the last area I filled in. OSCAR THE GROUCH was a gimme, especially since I had CURLY in as one of my first answers. Overall an enjoyable Friday.
I'd agree with easy-medium. I had "Youaretoo" instead of NOTYOUTOO for a long time, but otherwise found the puzzle very doable.
I Thought SNOWBALLFIGHTS and OSCARTHEGROCH, also OOZESCHARM, made for an enjoyable solve. The misdirects were fairly mild by Friday standards, except possibly the clue for BUT.
I know it’s blasphemous to say around here but this was a let down. RWs cluing voice is typically smooth and unstrained - this one tried too hard. The TANGO x SNOWBALL FIGHTS cross is a prime culprit as is that center LAT.
As always, RT's puzzle is beautiful but just didn't provide a lot of resistance. Only real dilemma was VIDEO Call or VIDEO CHAT. And I guess OCTAVIAN/us.
Laughed at Rex's reaction to COEXIST. Reminds me of the TV show Monk on joy: "Don't get me started on joy. ... Joy is a trick, a diversion. It doesn't last forever. It breaks your heart every time. Damn joy!"
Another hand up for Leone / olio (except I had “oleo” — never can keep those straight). Some good advice from my father was never to put a bumper sticker on your car. You can’t control the context, and sooner or later your message will be misinterpreted, no matter how well intended. Rex, I listened to that podcast too but didn’t recognize the puzzle. Certainly a winning Robyn Friday, though!
Thanks Robyn, I always enjoy the magic you spin with some of your clues (and OSCAR THE GROUCH was a fun bonus). Perhaps a little too much reliance on PPP and trivia for my taste, especially with Cruella and the Adele song sitting on top of each other (and of course I never heard of Gwyndodeg, Powyseg, a forcola, OTTO from GoT, or ISSA Barbie).
I don’t know how you consistently come up with little nuggets like “Has balance issues” for OWES, but I certainly hope you continue to grace us with them from time to time throughout the new year.
We’ve come to expect wit, humor, junk-free-ness, and marvelous colloquialisms in Robyn’s puzzles. And she delivers. Every single one is a gift, a treat, a remarkable one-of-a-kind.
Thank you, Robyn, for the smart and entertaining soul that you are, and for another splendid outing today!
Got the NW last as I had to erase LEONE and OLIO, like others, but also had ODIUM for "scorn", which I had congratulated myself on. SNOWBALLFIGHTS finally straightened all that out, thank goodness.
I know perfectly well what's in a Cuba libre and confidently wrote in COLA, corrected by product placement. Also didn't recognize CRUE and had TRUE for a while, because why not?
OTTO was the only real unknown in this one and the rest put up just enough of a fight to make things interesting.
Big fan of your work, RW. Really Works for me and thanks for all the fun.
Pabloinnh CRUE wasn’t used often enough to be an old friend but it did make an occasional appearance as it is very helpful when clue and true don’t work. It hasn’t appeared in a long time though. I would guess no one is complaining about the lack of an umlaut. I thought it was just one indicator of an easy puzzle. I was happy when I saw her name because her puzzles are always fun and I wanted an easy one today. For some reason, I didn’t have any of Rex’s issues, other than trying mAdre. and COla first.
Whenever I see Robyn’s name, I get so happy! I bought her little “sit and solve” Xword books as stocking stuffers (thank you @Rex) and they were a big hit! My daughter is getting the bug and of course I got it from my mom so it was a multigenerational gift!! Love this puzzle.
OOZES CHARM and its clue A very charming person and a very friendly person. Close enough for crosswords. Clues as the word implies are hints not exactly the same as the answer.
Fancy OFL liking Pimm’s Cup. Try finding one upstate. And if you do they’ll try making it with American lemonade. The correct mixer is British lemonade, which turns out to be lemon (not lemon-lime) soda. Pimm’s Cup - very useful during Wimbledon, the (British) Open and if you have access to watching cricket matches. Oh, the puzzle - very enjoyable though the app tells me I did it in half my Friday average.
Hey All ! Fell into the SADDEn trap, got the Almost There message, so to continue my mini-streak of no DNF's I have going (normally I would just hit Check Puzzle, then change my wrongness), I scanned the puz, and saw TSAn. Said, Hmm, that doesn't look right. Read the Across clue, changed the N to an R, and Happy Music rained downed from above. Followed by a fist pump.
Crunchy, but doable, and it turned out, in a decent time. Yay me!
Couple of mini-Uniclues/stories with the long Acrosses in NE/SW: I already have gum in my hair, but now this? NOT YOU TOO GLUE STICK Sure, throw some liquid on that Mexican fare! I DONT MIND TACO SAUCE
Robyn has changed from Queen of the Mondays to Queen of the Fridays. Missing CC Burnikle puzs, too.
Really fun…and quick! Some of the misdirects I conquered immediately – slapped in OWES from [Has balance issues] right off the bat, and got ELBOW ROOM off the three Os. SNOWBALL FIGHTS took longer, especially since my [Signal for a change in direction] was a rUT. Did tumble into the “olio” trap, but avoided “Leone” as I already had ERGO at 3D and knew that whatever the [Sierra follower] was, it had to contain a G. I had the OSCAR part of [Trashy television character?] and confidently followed it with “Madison” as in The Odd Couple. Was crushed when that was too short, but I got THE GROUCH pretty soon afterwards. Also fell afoul of the ETSY/EbaY kealoa, which briefly messed up the SE. But, in spite of that litany of missteps, I found the whole thing cheery and bright, a great contrast to the dark, dank, drizzly morning outside the window.
I liked seeing “soapstone” in a clue and it reminded me of the qulliq, the traditional Inuit seal-oil lamp, which was most often carved from soapstone. They have a lot of historical significance in the culture – they were crucial to survival when people lived in snow houses. And their ceremonial function continues in the 21st century: a ceremonial lighting of the qulliq often accompanies the start of important events.
[Spelling Bee: Never have any current SB news any more, because I linger longer with each puzzle. In December, up to and including the 25th, I’ve had 12 QBs, which I consider pretty decent. I figure I should QB around 50% of the time, so I’m not setting the world on fire, but I am hitting my mark.]
A riddle brought to you by Robyn’s first NYT puzzle (a Monday) a dozen years ago.
In that puzzle, the revealer is things that the four theme answers – OLD DISHES, POKER TABLES, BRITISH PUBS, and SHOULDERS – may have. Can you guess what they are?
Is it really Friday?? Got this one done in less time than Thursday, Wednesday, Tuesday... and it didn't make much of an impression, except that ARABS seems off for descendants of Ishmael; was thinking Sunni or Shias for awhile there. Happy last business day of the year...
I don’t understand any of the commentary about Spelling Bee (SB). Or what QB or the scores occasionally listed here mean.
Saying I have no SB news but have 12 QBs sounds like a 2023 MN Vikings’ lament (12 quarterbacks - including the flash in the pan Passtronaut - and no chance of a Super Bowl).
How great to end 2023 on Friday with a Robyn puzzle!
Thank you, Robyn, & Happy New Year!
@Lewis - Hi & Happy New Year! Where do I find Robyn’s first NYT puzzle (a Monday) a dozen years ago - if at all?
@Andrew - I don't understand the SB scoring either. I'm assuming QB is queen bee which is Genius? which, not to brag, I consistently am (now I'm jinxing myself). Not a biggie, just asking. (Sorry, Rex, to put this in your blog!)
I thought this was a real CHARMer, and it offered me more resistance (welcome!) than some of Robyn Weintraub's recent puzzles. I got off to a grand start with OWES x OCALA, priding myself on seeing through the "balance" clue and wondering if I was in for an on-her-wavelength romp. Not so, as I was soon stymied by other misdirects (favorites: Sierra follower and Signal for a change in direction? Wish I'd seen the clue for LAT). There were so many entries to LOVE, and all my SIGHs were from pleasure. Favorite: NOT YOU TOO. Also liked GUS the Theater Cat x FUR COAT, his being natural.
Do-overs: Sierra rANGe, Keep Away, COla, hair before NOSE, OCTAVIan. No idea: OTTO, CRUE.
I had BREW instead of STEW for awhile, but eventually figured out the NW corner. I wish LAIC would be perma-banned from any crosswords. Placing LAIC next to an actress I've never heard of gave me some problems. I also had to get ISSA purely from crosses. Proper nouns should disappear from crosswords forever along with laic. Overall fun puzzle with a perfect level of Friday challenge for me.
Biggest write-over: SLEW before STEW for "melange". Having that "L" meant I was all set to fall into the SIERRA LEONE trap. But I didn't because I already had OCALA and ERGO. So what then? SIERRA LARGO? It sounded vaguely like a Bogart movie.
Later on, WOr BY A NOSE enabled me to correct.
My messy OSCAR choice would have been MADISON, if it had fit. I've sort of heard of OSCAR THE GROUCH and wondered if he was a slob as well as a grouch. Usually puppets (he's a puppet, right?) have only one defining characteristic, not two, so I checked some letters and was rewarded when the final H was confirmed by HEMS.
Most of this seemed pretty easy. I saw SNOWBALL FIGHTS off just the SN. I got ELBOW ROOM quickly too. GLUE STICK made it clear that 12D was COKE, not COla. The puzzle was enjoyable enough -- but not the kind of tussle I usually expect from Robyn.
If Robyn Weintraub clued her puzzles with the answers themselves it would make little difference in the solving experience. If I wanted user friendly short material that sets you up for putting in softball answers like ELBOWROOM and SNOWBALLFIGHTS I'd do the early week puzzles. Late week puzzles traditionally set the solving bar a little higher but this constructor never does and it always makes her themeless puzzles a disappointment.
yd -0, dbyd -0, Tu pg-1, the Italian sweet bread ended my QB streak at 17
This puzzle was the one featured on the podcast with Robyn Weintraub, which I read about on this blog. Both the deja vu answers were mentioned there, and the clue for "Snowball Fights" after the spoiler alert warning.
I saw it might be OWES, semi-confirmed it with OCALA--I mean, I had no idea if there actually was such a forest, but this is a crossword, and OCALA... Thie worked with SCOORN and ERGO, but I couldn't see either STEW or TANGO. I wanted olio and mAdre, but they didn't work with each other, either, so I went away and developed more crosses. I almost took our ERGO, but I had the ER, and ERst neither really fit the cle nor workedd with the crosses.
I also confidently wrote in NO one else? for NOT YOU TOO!
I don't get the criticism that some clues were not direct enough. Isn't that the point, on a Friday?
According to the source Rex cited, it should have been OCTAVIan, which I had (not that I even knew he had once been Octavius!) I changed it for the crosses, but felt a little sad. It was nice to see him near Antony's other foil, the ASP, however.
@Kitshef, Robinson Jeffers wrote a poem for you:
Joy
Though joy is better than sorrow, joy is not great; Peace is great, strength is great. Not for joy the stars burn, not for joy the vulture Spreads her gray sails on the air Over the mountain; not for joy the worn mountain Stands, while years like water Trench his long sides. “I am neither mountain nor bird Nor star; and I seek joy.” The weakness of your breed: yet at length quietness Will cover those wistful eyes.
As for Oscar, my youngest child is now 47, so it has been some time since I last watched Sesame Street. But if memory serves, OSCAR THE GROUCH lived in a trash can.
We leave tonight for a 12-day trip to England, so it's possible I won't be back here until Jan. 11. Happy New Year to all!
@jb 129 -- You can find it here -- https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=3/28/2011 -- with the answers filled in, or in the NYT archives ( https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/2011/03/28 ) as a blank puzzle.
QB=Queen Bee, also sometimes designated as "0" by the people who post scores here. Yup, that's getting every word. Never thought of Spelling Bee QBs sounding like NFL QBs. (Might have to start cheering for the Vikings from now on although it sounds pretty hopeless.)
-1, -2, etc. indicates how many words away from QB you were when you packed it in.
pg = I got the pangram(s) and I got to Genius
yd = yesterday dbyd = day before yesterday
(@puzzlehoarder has used several of these abbreviations in his comment at 10:21.)
Thanks for all of that! Is there a glossary of any of the other terms that come up on here? I can’t remember (or track down) WOE. PPP I have some sense of as proper nouns places and produces (I think), OFL is Our Fearless Leader, etc.
What a nice way to end the week! I, too, wanted Oscar Madison, but he was messy, not actually trashy. Once I remembered that April was the month of Revere’s exploit, the Grouch came easily. And he’s a muppet, not a puppet!
Re: the bumper sticker: it’s seen so often it seems to have become a cliche, usually on a car driven by — well, not someone who’s also talking on their phone holding up traffic!
I breathed SIGHS of relief when I saw a Rex’s first sentence, thankful that he TOO shared my experience. I found it to be Robyn’s usual polished package but encountered a little more resistance than I normally do. Most of my trouble was caused by proper names - and again - it seemed like there were more of them than usual.
My problems began with foolishly insisting on “raspberry“ as a fruit and “lower” and “ready” as verbs. But my biggest flub was confidently entering AMERICA as the common bumper sticker word at 41A. That then gave me CLAUDIUS at 36D which subsequently doomed me to failure at 52A with the combination of TRUE for CRUE and complete blanks at SADDER (lower) and RIPE (ready). Oh well. I really DON’T MIND when the puzzle is so good to begin with. Thanks Robyn!
Enjoyable, but WAY too many propers hanging out as clues or answers. You get above 10 and suddenly you realize the constructor has gone for obscurity rather than wordplay to increase the difficulty and it'll divide our appreciation up pretty quick.
Rae, Abraham, Cruella, Adele, Coral Sea, forcola, Revere, Evita, Powyseg, Ocala, Miranda, viperidae, Octavius, Pachamama, Gus, Oscar, Degas, Crüe, and several others oozing esoterica. This will be a wheelhouse solve or a complete misery.
Plenty of nice longer answers. Very uniclue-ish. RUBY, MAT, TACO SAUCE and SADDER are regrettable, but otherwise when trivia wasn't at play (rarely), it was solid.
Uniclues:
01 Borrowed Rae's baby powder. 02 My inner disappointment at learning a trusted friend believes in ghosts, aliens, or religion. 03 Dance on the science fair poster board. 04 Chest hair in Djibouti. 05 The girl twerking on the bar, probably. 06 The sound of hippies at a love-in. 07 How to interview Dylan Thomas from Hell? 08 ... but I hate the Alps. 09 Prepare unreligious comedians for dinner with a cannibal. 10 How cerveza came in second on my favorite Spanish word list. 11 Direction from British orgy hostess to nervous noobs. 12 Roman riches. 13 Purpose of election season. 14 Crochet while snorting.
01 OWES ISSA TALC 02 "NOT YOU TOO" SCORN (~) 03 GLUE STICK TANGO (~) 04 ARAB'S FUR COAT 05 LONELY LOST LOVE 06 CO-EXIST SIGHS 07 WELSH VIDEOCHAT 08 I DON'T MIND URALS 09 STEW LAIC WITS 10 LOCO WON BY A NOSE (~) 11 RELAX, ERGO, SNOG (~) 12 OCTAVIUS' INGOTS (~) 13 STUMP FOR SADDER 14 ETSY COKE TEST (~)
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: Each of the red ones beginning in January. MOPIER SENATOR.
Fastest Friday since I started keeping track. The RUBY/BUT cross was the last to fall, but almost everything else wrote itself. Not gonna complain; Thanks for letting me end 2023 on a high note! See all y'all next year, and thanks, Fearless Leader!
My Californian brain refused to entertain anything but Nevada after Sierra, which of course didn’t fit (Madre did not occur to me, despite being a neighboring town) so I left that one open until it became obvious from the crosses. I am a celebrant of Robyn Friday - the solving experience is just so smooth. Trivia not too obscure, or at least gettable (Cruella de Vil is a cultural icon, and you don’t have to have even a glimmer of an idea of what she’s actually wearing if you know anything about the plot of 101 Dalmatians, which has been a book and three movies), don’t know anything about Gwyndodeg or Powyseg, but do know that anything with an excessive amount of consonants has a decent chance of being Welsh), and the long answers gave a lot of whoosh (OSCAR THE GROUCH with no crosses, and OOZES CHARM and SNOWBALL FIGHTS put of little resistant. I just want Robyn to do a themeless Sunday!
Off topic: but I discovered that if you subscribe to both XWord and the NYT on-line you can dig up and solve all the archived puzzles from your favorite constructor/s. I did this for KAC, but will continue for several others. Look up the constructor on XWord, note the dates and then go to the current NYT puzzle's page. The archive archive link is at the bottom. Easy to load in the date and, voila! The cherry on top is to then go to Rex's archived reviews and comments about the puz.
This may be old news to most of you, but might be a pleasant surprise to some who are as digitally challenged as I am.
Robyn does it again! Actually, I did the puzzle without looking at the constructor's name, and when I finished, I thought, "That was a fun Friday!' Then I saw Robyn's name and said, "Of course!"
How soon we forget: raspberry was just in the puzzle on Monday as a color (RASPBERRY BERET). So I wasn’t surprised to get RUBY at 19D.
This was typical Robyn Friday fare, i.e. fun to solve. I circled the clue for 43A as my favorite, though the clue for SNOWBALL FIGHTS was a close second. My one writeover was OCTAVIan but TSAR cleared that up handily.
My husband loves his rum and cokes. He never orders a Cuba Libre because around here that always includes the lime.
@Barbara S you're back! Great to hear from you again; I'd just about given up hope.
This puzzle went very quick, and I can't even think of any typeovers. (Oh yeah: there was IRISH before WELSH.) Got some long answers like SNOWBALL FIGHTS from just the S and the clue, with no other crosses.
[Spelling Bee: Thurs 0; the 8er was my last (I always want to spell it with an O.) Streak at 6, not counting the 25th and 26th which I missed. puzzlehoarder, sorry your streak ended but well done!]
I don’t time myself, but this had to be one of my fastest Friday puzzles ever. Even the misdirections barely slowed me down. On the same wavelength. Fun puzzle.
Nice themeless FriPuz, but … I started out with {Melange} = OLIO and then, off the "L", {Sierra follower} = LEONE. Solvequest confusion ensued. Precious nanoseconds were lost. Had to eventually desperately migrate eastward, for a while, to get: AYE then ISSA then INGOTS, sooo … things progressed more better from there.
staff weeject pick: GPA. Neat Calculus-based clue. Integral to my solvequest in a limited way, without bein overly derivative.
Lotsa primo fillins, includin: ELBOWROOM. GLUESTICK. SNOWBALLFIGHTS & their clue. NOTYOUTOO. IDONTMIND. OOZESCHARM. CUTIE & its clue.
Thanx for the oozinly charmin workout, Ms. Weintraub darlin.
Masked & Anonymo8Us
p.s. I just discovered that I had a copy of the "Moon" flick DVD, hidin in my attic archival piles. Woulda come in handy for a recent puz, if I'da remembered it at all. BUT ...
Thx Robyn, for this CUTIE PIE puz, OOZING WITH CHARM! 😊
Downs-o (in just N. of 2 hrs).
One gaff at RIcE. Was torn between that and dIcE, but RESECT seemed better than dESECT. Once again, I failed to consider my spidey-sense and run the alpha to come up with the (P), which fit the clue to a t, even tho RIcE or DIcE would work as a food dish prep; just not with as much CHARM, tho.
Nevertheless, a wonderful adventure, and time well spent! :) ___ Patrick Berry's New Yorker cryptic was on the tough side, but doable.
Back to work on the Thurs NYT puz (just over 4 hrs in) with only the NE corner to finish off). Then, on to Michael Lieberman's NYT PandA. ___ Peace 🕊 🇺🇦 ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness ~ Freudenfreude & a DAP to all 👊 🙏
My first impression when I opened this one was that it looked more like an early week themed puzzle than a Friday themeless. Having 34 black squares chops the grid up into a barrage of three and four letter entries. It's nigh on impossible to make those OOZE CHARM and sometimes trying too hard to do that just becomes tedious and SCORN-worthy.
Speaking of which, I always notice, and not in a good way, when some longer entries need help to fill their slots as happens today with OOZE CHARM and SNOWBALL FIGHT. POC (plural of convenience) to the rescue. I was also SADDER to see the two-for-one POCs at INGOT/ARAB and HALL/HEM. (I almost missed another two fer where OOZE CHARM and SIGH both get a letter count boost from a single S.)
Maybe up north they have little "Tex-Mex condiment" foil packets labeled TACO SAUCE but down here in Tex-Mex Land (deep south Texas) there will typically be a salsa bar with a variety of SAUCEs that can be put on a lot of Tex-Mex food, not just a TACO. And they won't be in little tear-and-squeeze foil packets.
@Nancy: Last night I started solving your Mighty Fine( Katherine Hepburn line in Philadelphia Story) Universal crossword puzzle but had to put in down with expectations of continuing today but alas I have lost it somehow. I am not good with computers . Is there a way I can retrieve it?
This puzzle was somewhat of a disappointment. Given all the complimentary comments, I am sure I must have missed something.
@oldactor (3:46)-- Great minds and all that. I was going to quote that lyric, maybe even provide a link to the song. But being me, I forgot, of course. In my case, a great mind is also an absent-minded mind. Your mileage may vary, of course. But, wow -- to play Higgins: What a role! What a coup! I bet you were terrific!
@ccredux (2:04)-- What a shame! I just went to the Universal puzzle page and they only provide today's puzzle on their website. I'm almost certainly an even worse Luddite than you and I have no idea how to retrieve it. Maybe there ISN'T any way -- I simply don't know. Is there any computer-savvy person here who can help @ccredux out?
And btw, a warm thank you to everyone who -- both on-blog and off-blog, both yesterday and today -- has said such nice things about the puzzle. It's even more fun when you're making puzzles for such a knowledgeable and appreciative group of solvers and friends.
On the nomenclature of Octavius, Octavian, and Augustus, Rex’s source is right about the sequence but a bit off on the timing. The man’s name at birth was Gaius Octavius. In Julius Caesar’s will, made known after his death, Caesar formally adopted the young man, and his name became Gaius Iulius Caesar Octavianus (hence “Octavian” in English). He made little use of Octavianus, preferring to be called Caesar—a much more potent name. Then in January of 27 BCE the Roman Senate gave him the title Augustus. This was an honorific title, and did not replace his previous name; that is why we see references to Caesar Augustus or Augustus Caesar. The clue specifically refers to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, where the character is indeed called Octavius, even though by the time of the play’s action he would have been Octavianus. What is more, in the cast list he appears as “Octavius Caesar”—a combination that never existed!
@ccredux: You can start by going to the generic Universal Crossword page http://syndication.andrewsmcmeel.com/puzzles/crosswords
It will, as you know, display today's 12/29 puzzle. Just above the puzzle - to the right of the puzzle title and constructor name, you will see a bunch of icons: - an arrow in a circle - a timer - a printer symbol - a question-mark in a box - a gear wheel - five dots in a square - the letter 'i' in a circle.
Click on the icon that has five dots in a square, and you'll see a list of puzzles. Select "Due Up", dig in.
I use the NATO alphabet every day, so "Sierra follower" is so obviously TANGO that I would have a hard time thinking of anything else. I don't even know what Sierra is. I think it's an American geographical feature, a mountain or a desert or maybe the name of a forest.
RUBY, DON'T take yer LOVE to town. IDON'TMIND this puz ATOLL. In a former softball league one of our main rivals named themselves Motley CRUE. As Frankie Goes to Hollywood said, "RELAX." Wordle par. Rock of Ages . . .
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Til: snowball is one word
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteCount me among those who celebrate a Robyn Friday. Love her work!
Only overwrite was @Rex SADDEr before SADDEN at 42D.
Me too!
DeleteWhat a gift for misdirection. Really fun puzzle
ReplyDeleteLeone and Olio for me too, and I *so* wanted Match Game. Overall I had the most trouble with the NW--it was the last area I filled in. OSCAR THE GROUCH was a gimme, especially since I had CURLY in as one of my first answers. Overall an enjoyable Friday.
ReplyDeleteI'd agree with easy-medium. I had "Youaretoo" instead of NOTYOUTOO for a long time, but otherwise found the puzzle very doable.
ReplyDeleteI Thought SNOWBALLFIGHTS and OSCARTHEGROCH, also OOZESCHARM, made for an enjoyable solve. The misdirects were fairly mild by Friday standards, except possibly the clue for BUT.
I know it’s blasphemous to say around here but this was a let down. RWs cluing voice is typically smooth and unstrained - this one tried too hard. The TANGO x SNOWBALL FIGHTS cross is a prime culprit as is that center LAT.
ReplyDeleteRUBY’s Arms
I did like the LONELY - LOST LOVE pair and CURLY. OTTO and GUS were unknown and backed into.
Once you establish such a high bar - the expectations become exceedingly difficult to meet every time.
Stay Free
As always, RT's puzzle is beautiful but just didn't provide a lot of resistance. Only real dilemma was VIDEO Call or VIDEO CHAT. And I guess OCTAVIAN/us.
ReplyDeleteLaughed at Rex's reaction to COEXIST. Reminds me of the TV show Monk on joy: "Don't get me started on joy. ... Joy is a trick, a diversion. It doesn't last forever. It breaks your heart every time. Damn joy!"
Fun and breezy Friday. 15 minutes better than my average. Ended on that RUBY/BUT cross. Enjoyed this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteAnother hand up for Leone / olio (except I had “oleo” — never can keep those straight).
ReplyDeleteSome good advice from my father was never to put a bumper sticker on your car. You can’t control the context, and sooner or later your message will be misinterpreted, no matter how well intended.
Rex, I listened to that podcast too but didn’t recognize the puzzle. Certainly a winning Robyn Friday, though!
Thanks Robyn, I always enjoy the magic you spin with some of your clues (and OSCAR THE GROUCH was a fun bonus). Perhaps a little too much reliance on PPP and trivia for my taste, especially with Cruella and the Adele song sitting on top of each other (and of course I never heard of Gwyndodeg, Powyseg, a forcola, OTTO from GoT, or ISSA Barbie).
ReplyDeleteI don’t know how you consistently come up with little nuggets like “Has balance issues” for OWES, but I certainly hope you continue to grace us with them from time to time throughout the new year.
Random thoughts:
ReplyDelete• Lovely PuzzPair© in OAR and CRUE.
• Two examples of Robyn’s inventiveness: 1. OWES has appeared 185 times in the NYT puzzle, and this is the first time the clue for it has wordplayed on “balance”. 2. As best as I can tell, this is the first time the crossword stalwart “eke” has ever been used in a NYT puzzle CLUE.
• This puzzle is brought to you by the letter O. Witness the three double-O’s and the 21 long O’s, highlighted by SOLO and LOCO.
• The raspberry-RUBY connection gives new meaning to “the red-red Robyn…”
• Robyn always throws in NYT puzzle answer debuts that are actually in the language, as are today’s: OOZES CHARM, OSCAR THE GROUCH, WON BY A NOSE, SNOWBALL FIGHTS, and TACO SAUCE.
We’ve come to expect wit, humor, junk-free-ness, and marvelous colloquialisms in Robyn’s puzzles. And she delivers. Every single one is a gift, a treat, a remarkable one-of-a-kind.
Thank you, Robyn, for the smart and entertaining soul that you are, and for another splendid outing today!
Got the NW last as I had to erase LEONE and OLIO, like others, but also had ODIUM for "scorn", which I had congratulated myself on. SNOWBALLFIGHTS finally straightened all that out, thank goodness.
ReplyDeleteI know perfectly well what's in a Cuba libre and confidently wrote in COLA, corrected by product placement. Also didn't recognize CRUE and had TRUE for a while, because why not?
OTTO was the only real unknown in this one and the rest put up just enough of a fight to make things interesting.
Big fan of your work, RW. Really Works for me and thanks for all the fun.
Pabloinnh
DeleteCRUE wasn’t used often enough to be an old friend but it did make an occasional appearance as it is very helpful when clue and true don’t work. It hasn’t appeared in a long time though. I would guess no one is complaining about the lack of an umlaut. I thought it was just one indicator of an easy puzzle. I was happy when I saw her name because her puzzles are always fun and I wanted an easy one today.
For some reason, I didn’t have any of Rex’s issues, other than trying mAdre. and COla first.
Whenever I see Robyn’s name, I get so happy! I bought her little “sit and solve” Xword books as stocking stuffers (thank you @Rex) and they were a big hit! My daughter is getting the bug and of course I got it from my mom so it was a multigenerational gift!! Love this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteFigured Rex would be triggered by FURCOAT (which is an apt answer for the character named CRUELla) but COEXIST?
ReplyDeleteAs Nick Lowe wrote, What’s so VILE about PEACE, LOVE & UNDERSTANDING?
With this puzzle's LOST LOVE, LONELY, and SIGHS, I'm glad my doc put me on suicide watch when I told him I'm a Jets fan.
ReplyDelete(Rodney Dangerfield said "I told my shrink I'm having suicidal thoughts. Now he makes me pay in advance.")
I’ve always thought that the real definition of “BUT” is “Everything I just said is a lie.”
ReplyDeleteNot too shabby for a Friday. But “oozes charm” does not in any sense match the clue.
ReplyDeleteOOZES CHARM and its clue
DeleteA very charming person and a very friendly person. Close enough for crosswords.
Clues as the word implies are hints not exactly the same as the answer.
Fancy OFL liking Pimm’s Cup. Try finding one upstate. And if you do they’ll try making it with American lemonade. The correct mixer is British lemonade, which turns out to be lemon (not lemon-lime) soda. Pimm’s Cup - very useful during Wimbledon, the (British) Open and if you have access to watching cricket matches. Oh, the puzzle - very enjoyable though the app tells me I did it in half my Friday average.
ReplyDeleteHey All !
ReplyDeleteFell into the SADDEn trap, got the Almost There message, so to continue my mini-streak of no DNF's I have going (normally I would just hit Check Puzzle, then change my wrongness), I scanned the puz, and saw TSAn. Said, Hmm, that doesn't look right. Read the Across clue, changed the N to an R, and Happy Music rained downed from above. Followed by a fist pump.
Crunchy, but doable, and it turned out, in a decent time. Yay me!
Couple of mini-Uniclues/stories with the long Acrosses in NE/SW:
I already have gum in my hair, but now this? NOT YOU TOO GLUE STICK
Sure, throw some liquid on that Mexican fare!
I DONT MIND TACO SAUCE
Robyn has changed from Queen of the Mondays to Queen of the Fridays. Missing CC Burnikle puzs, too.
Happy Friday.
Two F's
RooMonster
DarrinV
Happy National Pepper Pot Day!
ReplyDeleteReally fun…and quick! Some of the misdirects I conquered immediately – slapped in OWES from [Has balance issues] right off the bat, and got ELBOW ROOM off the three Os. SNOWBALL FIGHTS took longer, especially since my [Signal for a change in direction] was a rUT. Did tumble into the “olio” trap, but avoided “Leone” as I already had ERGO at 3D and knew that whatever the [Sierra follower] was, it had to contain a G. I had the OSCAR part of [Trashy television character?] and confidently followed it with “Madison” as in The Odd Couple. Was crushed when that was too short, but I got THE GROUCH pretty soon afterwards. Also fell afoul of the ETSY/EbaY kealoa, which briefly messed up the SE. But, in spite of that litany of missteps, I found the whole thing cheery and bright, a great contrast to the dark, dank, drizzly morning outside the window.
I liked seeing “soapstone” in a clue and it reminded me of the qulliq, the traditional Inuit seal-oil lamp, which was most often carved from soapstone. They have a lot of historical significance in the culture – they were crucial to survival when people lived in snow houses. And their ceremonial function continues in the 21st century: a ceremonial lighting of the qulliq often accompanies the start of important events.
For you, Rex –
If I had a million dollars
Well, I’d buy you a FUR COAT
But not a real FUR COAT, that's cruel.
(Or, in this case, “that’s Cruella.”)
[Spelling Bee: Never have any current SB news any more, because I linger longer with each puzzle. In December, up to and including the 25th, I’ve had 12 QBs, which I consider pretty decent. I figure I should QB around 50% of the time, so I’m not setting the world on fire, but I am hitting my mark.]
A riddle brought to you by Robyn’s first NYT puzzle (a Monday) a dozen years ago.
ReplyDeleteIn that puzzle, the revealer is things that the four theme answers – OLD DISHES, POKER TABLES, BRITISH PUBS, and SHOULDERS – may have. Can you guess what they are?
(Answer below the dashes.)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
CHIPS.
Is it really Friday?? Got this one done in less time than Thursday, Wednesday, Tuesday... and it didn't make much of an impression, except that ARABS seems off for descendants of Ishmael; was thinking Sunni or Shias for awhile there.
ReplyDeleteHappy last business day of the year...
I don’t understand any of the commentary about Spelling Bee (SB). Or what QB or the scores occasionally listed here mean.
ReplyDeleteSaying I have no SB news but have 12 QBs sounds like a 2023 MN Vikings’ lament (12 quarterbacks - including the flash in the pan Passtronaut - and no chance of a Super Bowl).
As one says in a blackout, can anyone illuminate?
Way too easy…Tues/Wed time.
ReplyDeleteHow great to end 2023 on Friday with a Robyn puzzle!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Robyn, & Happy New Year!
@Lewis - Hi & Happy New Year! Where do I find Robyn’s first NYT puzzle (a Monday) a dozen years ago - if at all?
@Andrew - I don't understand the SB scoring either. I'm assuming QB is queen bee which is Genius? which, not to brag, I consistently am (now I'm jinxing myself). Not a biggie, just asking. (Sorry, Rex, to put this in your blog!)
I thought this was a real CHARMer, and it offered me more resistance (welcome!) than some of Robyn Weintraub's recent puzzles. I got off to a grand start with OWES x OCALA, priding myself on seeing through the "balance" clue and wondering if I was in for an on-her-wavelength romp. Not so, as I was soon stymied by other misdirects (favorites: Sierra follower and Signal for a change in direction? Wish I'd seen the clue for LAT). There were so many entries to LOVE, and all my SIGHs were from pleasure. Favorite: NOT YOU TOO. Also liked GUS the Theater Cat x FUR COAT, his being natural.
ReplyDeleteDo-overs: Sierra rANGe, Keep Away, COla, hair before NOSE, OCTAVIan. No idea: OTTO, CRUE.
I had BREW instead of STEW for awhile, but eventually figured out the NW corner. I wish LAIC would be perma-banned from any crosswords. Placing LAIC next to an actress I've never heard of gave me some problems. I also had to get ISSA purely from crosses. Proper nouns should disappear from crosswords forever along with laic. Overall fun puzzle with a perfect level of Friday challenge for me.
ReplyDeleteBiggest write-over: SLEW before STEW for "melange". Having that "L" meant I was all set to fall into the SIERRA LEONE trap. But I didn't because I already had OCALA and ERGO. So what then? SIERRA LARGO? It sounded vaguely like a Bogart movie.
ReplyDeleteLater on, WOr BY A NOSE enabled me to correct.
My messy OSCAR choice would have been MADISON, if it had fit. I've sort of heard of OSCAR THE GROUCH and wondered if he was a slob as well as a grouch. Usually puppets (he's a puppet, right?) have only one defining characteristic, not two, so I checked some letters and was rewarded when the final H was confirmed by HEMS.
Most of this seemed pretty easy. I saw SNOWBALL FIGHTS off just the SN. I got ELBOW ROOM quickly too. GLUE STICK made it clear that 12D was COKE, not COla. The puzzle was enjoyable enough -- but not the kind of tussle I usually expect from Robyn.
Ginger ale for a Pimm’s cup!
ReplyDeleteQB (Queen Bee) is not genius - it’s getting every word. I’ve only gotten there a couple of times on my own.
If Robyn Weintraub clued her puzzles with the answers themselves it would make little difference in the solving experience. If I wanted user friendly short material that sets you up for putting in softball answers like ELBOWROOM and SNOWBALLFIGHTS I'd do the early week puzzles. Late week puzzles traditionally set the solving bar a little higher but this constructor never does and it always makes her themeless puzzles a disappointment.
ReplyDeleteyd -0, dbyd -0, Tu pg-1, the Italian sweet bread ended my QB streak at 17
This puzzle was the one featured on the podcast with Robyn Weintraub, which I read about on this blog. Both the deja vu answers were mentioned there, and the clue for "Snowball Fights" after the spoiler alert warning.
ReplyDeleteHe mentions this in the write-up
DeleteDoes The New Yorker pay more for their puzzles than the NYT? I'm guessing they do and that we get the RW puzzles they reject.
ReplyDeleteDo you comment at Wordplay? I’m guessing you do and we get the rejects.
DeleteThank you @anonymous, needed to be said.
DeleteI saw it might be OWES, semi-confirmed it with OCALA--I mean, I had no idea if there actually was such a forest, but this is a crossword, and OCALA... Thie worked with SCOORN and ERGO, but I couldn't see either STEW or TANGO. I wanted olio and mAdre, but they didn't work with each other, either, so I went away and developed more crosses. I almost took our ERGO, but I had the ER, and ERst neither really fit the cle nor workedd with the crosses.
ReplyDeleteI also confidently wrote in NO one else? for NOT YOU TOO!
I don't get the criticism that some clues were not direct enough. Isn't that the point, on a Friday?
According to the source Rex cited, it should have been OCTAVIan, which I had (not that I even knew he had once been Octavius!) I changed it for the crosses, but felt a little sad. It was nice to see him near Antony's other foil, the ASP, however.
@Kitshef, Robinson Jeffers wrote a poem for you:
Joy
Though joy is better than sorrow, joy is not great;
Peace is great, strength is great.
Not for joy the stars burn, not for joy the vulture
Spreads her gray sails on the air
Over the mountain; not for joy the worn mountain
Stands, while years like water
Trench his long sides. “I am neither mountain nor bird
Nor star; and I seek joy.”
The weakness of your breed: yet at length quietness
Will cover those wistful eyes.
@Nancy, fun puzzle yesterday!
ReplyDeleteAs for Oscar, my youngest child is now 47, so it has been some time since I last watched Sesame Street. But if memory serves, OSCAR THE GROUCH lived in a trash can.
We leave tonight for a 12-day trip to England, so it's possible I won't be back here until Jan. 11. Happy New Year to all!
At first I wasn't sure whether Zoom had replaced VIDEOCHAT. I just knew that it was NOTYOUTOOb.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind some adhesives, but GLUESTICK me off. On the other hand, OOZESCHARM me, but don't work as well as Elmer's.
Nice to see the CLASH placed above the CRÜE, which is where they belong IMO.
I'm not saying I was a LONELY kid, but I played SOLO tennis sets and LOSTLOVE - six.
In the latest edition of the Enquirer: SNOWBALLFIGHTS Florida Man.
I didn't look at the author, and found myself thinking "Hmmm, a Robyn Weintraub wanna be." Surprised to learn it was actually her.
@jb 129 -- You can find it here -- https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=3/28/2011 -- with the answers filled in, or in the NYT archives ( https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/2011/03/28 ) as a blank puzzle.
ReplyDeleteGot it. Thank you Lewis :)
ReplyDeleteShouldn't the clue for 36 down be Anthony and Cleopatra? His foil in Julius Caesar was Brutus
ReplyDeleteA typical RW Friday, very smooth and very easy. Wed. and Turs. were both tougher for me. iriSH before WELSH was it for hiccups.
ReplyDeleteA fun breezy solve with delightful long downs, liked it.
Minor quibble: Except for the packets at Taco Bell no one ever uses/orders/offers taco sauce in Tex-Mex cuisine.
ReplyDelete@andrew, @jb129 and others
ReplyDeleteRE: Spelling Bee
QB=Queen Bee, also sometimes designated as "0" by the people who post scores here. Yup, that's getting every word. Never thought of Spelling Bee QBs sounding like NFL QBs. (Might have to start cheering for the Vikings from now on although it sounds pretty hopeless.)
-1, -2, etc. indicates how many words away from QB you were when you packed it in.
pg = I got the pangram(s) and I got to Genius
yd = yesterday
dbyd = day before yesterday
(@puzzlehoarder has used several of these abbreviations in his comment at 10:21.)
Thanks for all of that! Is there a glossary of any of the other terms that come up on here? I can’t remember (or track down) WOE. PPP I have some sense of as proper nouns places and produces (I think), OFL is Our Fearless Leader, etc.
DeleteProducts*
DeleteWhat a nice way to end the week! I, too, wanted Oscar Madison, but he was messy, not actually trashy. Once I remembered
ReplyDeletethat April was the month of Revere’s exploit, the Grouch came easily. And he’s a muppet, not a puppet!
Re: the bumper sticker: it’s seen so often it seems to have become a cliche, usually on a car driven by — well, not someone
who’s also talking on their phone holding up traffic!
Thanks, Robyn!
I breathed SIGHS of relief when I saw a Rex’s first sentence, thankful that he TOO shared my experience. I found it to be Robyn’s usual polished package but encountered a little more resistance than I normally do. Most of my trouble was caused by proper names - and again - it seemed like there were more of them than usual.
ReplyDeleteMy problems began with foolishly insisting on “raspberry“ as a fruit and “lower” and “ready” as verbs. But my biggest flub was confidently entering AMERICA as the common bumper sticker word at 41A. That then gave me CLAUDIUS at 36D which subsequently doomed me to failure at 52A with the combination of TRUE for CRUE and complete blanks at SADDER (lower) and RIPE (ready). Oh well. I really DON’T MIND when the puzzle is so good to begin with. Thanks Robyn!
Coexist bumper stickers must be an east coast thing. I've never, in 63 years, seen one in Ohio.
ReplyDeleteMaybe there's a reason.
DeleteEnjoyable, but WAY too many propers hanging out as clues or answers. You get above 10 and suddenly you realize the constructor has gone for obscurity rather than wordplay to increase the difficulty and it'll divide our appreciation up pretty quick.
ReplyDeleteRae, Abraham, Cruella, Adele, Coral Sea, forcola, Revere, Evita, Powyseg, Ocala, Miranda, viperidae, Octavius, Pachamama, Gus, Oscar, Degas, Crüe, and several others oozing esoterica. This will be a wheelhouse solve or a complete misery.
Plenty of nice longer answers. Very uniclue-ish. RUBY, MAT, TACO SAUCE and SADDER are regrettable, but otherwise when trivia wasn't at play (rarely), it was solid.
Uniclues:
01 Borrowed Rae's baby powder.
02 My inner disappointment at learning a trusted friend believes in ghosts, aliens, or religion.
03 Dance on the science fair poster board.
04 Chest hair in Djibouti.
05 The girl twerking on the bar, probably.
06 The sound of hippies at a love-in.
07 How to interview Dylan Thomas from Hell?
08 ... but I hate the Alps.
09 Prepare unreligious comedians for dinner with a cannibal.
10 How cerveza came in second on my favorite Spanish word list.
11 Direction from British orgy hostess to nervous noobs.
12 Roman riches.
13 Purpose of election season.
14 Crochet while snorting.
01 OWES ISSA TALC
02 "NOT YOU TOO" SCORN (~)
03 GLUE STICK TANGO (~)
04 ARAB'S FUR COAT
05 LONELY LOST LOVE
06 CO-EXIST SIGHS
07 WELSH VIDEOCHAT
08 I DON'T MIND URALS
09 STEW LAIC WITS
10 LOCO WON BY A NOSE (~)
11 RELAX, ERGO, SNOG (~)
12 OCTAVIUS' INGOTS (~)
13 STUMP FOR SADDER
14 ETSY COKE TEST (~)
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: Each of the red ones beginning in January. MOPIER SENATOR.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Fastest Friday since I started keeping track. The RUBY/BUT cross was the last to fall, but almost everything else wrote itself. Not gonna complain; Thanks for letting me end 2023 on a high note! See all y'all next year, and thanks, Fearless Leader!
ReplyDeleteMy Californian brain refused to entertain anything but Nevada after Sierra, which of course didn’t fit (Madre did not occur to me, despite being a neighboring town) so I left that one open until it became obvious from the crosses. I am a celebrant of Robyn Friday - the solving experience is just so smooth. Trivia not too obscure, or at least gettable (Cruella de Vil is a cultural icon, and you don’t have to have even a glimmer of an idea of what she’s actually wearing if you know anything about the plot of 101 Dalmatians, which has been a book and three movies), don’t know anything about Gwyndodeg or Powyseg, but do know that anything with an excessive amount of consonants has a decent chance of being Welsh), and the long answers gave a lot of whoosh (OSCAR THE GROUCH with no crosses, and OOZES CHARM and SNOWBALL FIGHTS put of little resistant. I just want Robyn to do a themeless Sunday!
ReplyDeleteOff topic: but I discovered that if you subscribe to both XWord and the NYT on-line you can dig up and solve all the archived puzzles from your favorite constructor/s. I did this for KAC, but will continue for several others. Look up the constructor on XWord, note the dates and then go to the current NYT puzzle's page. The archive archive link is at the bottom. Easy to load in the date and, voila! The cherry on top is to then go to Rex's archived reviews and comments about the puz.
ReplyDeleteThis may be old news to most of you, but might be a pleasant surprise to some who are as digitally challenged as I am.
I just looked up Coexist bumper stickers. There was a picture. Very nicely done. I'm on the road a lot here in San Francisco but I've never seen one.
ReplyDelete“ The prevalence of the COEXIST bumper stickers has been noted in the Bay Area region centered on San Francisco.” (Wikipedia)
DeleteLove Robyn's puzzles.
ReplyDeleteNew record for me for a Friday (13:11). Just totally synched up with her today.
Robyn does it again! Actually, I did the puzzle without looking at the constructor's name, and when I finished, I thought, "That was a fun Friday!' Then I saw Robyn's name and said, "Of course!"
ReplyDeleteRobyn for NY Times chief crossword editor!! sorry Will..
ReplyDeleteHow soon we forget: raspberry was just in the puzzle on Monday as a color (RASPBERRY BERET). So I wasn’t surprised to get RUBY at 19D.
ReplyDeleteThis was typical Robyn Friday fare, i.e. fun to solve. I circled the clue for 43A as my favorite, though the clue for SNOWBALL FIGHTS was a close second. My one writeover was OCTAVIan but TSAR cleared that up handily.
My husband loves his rum and cokes. He never orders a Cuba Libre because around here that always includes the lime.
Thanks, Robyn, for this sweet puzzle!
After putting in OWES at 1A I immediately knew 4D [Cold war aggressions] had to be SABERRATTLINGS. I knew wrongly!
ReplyDelete@Barbara S you're back! Great to hear from you again; I'd just about given up hope.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle went very quick, and I can't even think of any typeovers. (Oh yeah: there was IRISH before WELSH.) Got some long answers like SNOWBALL FIGHTS from just the S and the clue, with no other crosses.
[Spelling Bee: Thurs 0; the 8er was my last (I always want to spell it with an O.) Streak at 6, not counting the 25th and 26th which I missed. puzzlehoarder, sorry your streak ended but well done!]
I don’t time myself, but this had to be one of my fastest Friday puzzles ever. Even the misdirections barely slowed me down. On the same wavelength. Fun puzzle.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous (12:25 PM)
ReplyDeleteSince I seem to be in the business of providing keys today:
PPP = Popular culture, product names and other proper nouns (coined by a departed blog stalwart, @Z)
WOE = What-on-earth, a politer iteration of WTF
You've got OFL.
Anything else?
All good. Thank you!
Delete@okanaganer
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Nice themeless FriPuz, but …
ReplyDeleteI started out with {Melange} = OLIO and then, off the "L", {Sierra follower} = LEONE. Solvequest confusion ensued. Precious nanoseconds were lost. Had to eventually desperately migrate eastward, for a while, to get: AYE then ISSA then INGOTS, sooo … things progressed more better from there.
staff weeject pick: GPA. Neat Calculus-based clue. Integral to my solvequest in a limited way, without bein overly derivative.
Lotsa primo fillins, includin: ELBOWROOM. GLUESTICK. SNOWBALLFIGHTS & their clue. NOTYOUTOO. IDONTMIND. OOZESCHARM. CUTIE & its clue.
Thanx for the oozinly charmin workout, Ms. Weintraub darlin.
Masked & Anonymo8Us
p.s. I just discovered that I had a copy of the "Moon" flick DVD, hidin in my attic archival piles. Woulda come in handy for a recent puz, if I'da remembered it at all. BUT ...
**gruntz**
Thx Robyn, for this CUTIE PIE puz, OOZING WITH CHARM! 😊
ReplyDeleteDowns-o (in just N. of 2 hrs).
One gaff at RIcE. Was torn between that and dIcE, but RESECT seemed better than dESECT. Once again, I failed to consider my spidey-sense and run the alpha to come up with the (P), which fit the clue to a t, even tho RIcE or DIcE would work as a food dish prep; just not with as much CHARM, tho.
Nevertheless, a wonderful adventure, and time well spent! :)
___
Patrick Berry's New Yorker cryptic was on the tough side, but doable.
Back to work on the Thurs NYT puz (just over 4 hrs in) with only the NE corner to finish off). Then, on to Michael Lieberman's NYT PandA.
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Peace 🕊 🇺🇦 ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness ~ Freudenfreude & a DAP to all 👊 🙏
My first impression when I opened this one was that it looked more like an early week themed puzzle than a Friday themeless. Having 34 black squares chops the grid up into a barrage of three and four letter entries. It's nigh on impossible to make those OOZE CHARM and sometimes trying too hard to do that just becomes tedious and SCORN-worthy.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which, I always notice, and not in a good way, when some longer entries need help to fill their slots as happens today with OOZE CHARM and SNOWBALL FIGHT. POC (plural of convenience) to the rescue. I was also SADDER to see the two-for-one POCs at INGOT/ARAB and HALL/HEM. (I almost missed another two fer where OOZE CHARM and SIGH both get a letter count boost from a single S.)
Maybe up north they have little "Tex-Mex condiment" foil packets labeled TACO SAUCE but down here in Tex-Mex Land (deep south Texas) there will typically be a salsa bar with a variety of SAUCEs that can be put on a lot of Tex-Mex food, not just a TACO. And they won't be in little tear-and-squeeze foil packets.
@Nancy: Last night I started solving your Mighty Fine( Katherine Hepburn line in Philadelphia Story) Universal crossword puzzle but had to put in down with expectations of continuing today but alas I have lost it somehow. I am not good with computers . Is there a way I can retrieve it?
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle was somewhat of a disappointment. Given all the complimentary comments, I am sure I must have missed something.
Thanks for the link to the podcast on Robyn Weintraub's construction. It was a very fun listen!
ReplyDeletep.p.s.s.
ReplyDelete@RP: Primo side-nod in yer blogwork to Elmore Leonard, btw. Luv his stuff.
Also was extra-partial to horny-dog Malo, in the pet pics.
M&Also
I once played Henry Higgins in MY Fair Lady. My favorite lyric (Hi Nancy) in "You Did It" was:
ReplyDeleteOozing charm from every pore
He oiled his way across the floor.
Maybe I'm just getting better at these things, but I thought this was super easy. My first Friday in under ten minutes!
ReplyDelete@oldactor (3:46)-- Great minds and all that. I was going to quote that lyric, maybe even provide a link to the song. But being me, I forgot, of course. In my case, a great mind is also an absent-minded mind. Your mileage may vary, of course. But, wow -- to play Higgins: What a role! What a coup! I bet you were terrific!
ReplyDelete@ccredux (2:04)-- What a shame! I just went to the Universal puzzle page and they only provide today's puzzle on their website. I'm almost certainly an even worse Luddite than you and I have no idea how to retrieve it. Maybe there ISN'T any way -- I simply don't know. Is there any computer-savvy person here who can help @ccredux out?
And btw, a warm thank you to everyone who -- both on-blog and off-blog, both yesterday and today -- has said such nice things about the puzzle. It's even more fun when you're making puzzles for such a knowledgeable and appreciative group of solvers and friends.
@Nancy: Thanks! I’ll be sure to complete the.next one—- hope soon!
ReplyDeleteOn the nomenclature of Octavius, Octavian, and Augustus, Rex’s source is right about the sequence but a bit off on the timing. The man’s name at birth was Gaius Octavius. In Julius Caesar’s will, made known after his death, Caesar formally adopted the young man, and his name became Gaius Iulius Caesar Octavianus (hence “Octavian” in English). He made little use of Octavianus, preferring to be called Caesar—a much more potent name. Then in January of 27 BCE the Roman Senate gave him the title Augustus. This was an honorific title, and did not replace his previous name; that is why we see references to Caesar Augustus or Augustus Caesar.
ReplyDeleteThe clue specifically refers to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, where the character is indeed called Octavius, even though by the time of the play’s action he would have been Octavianus. What is more, in the cast list he appears as “Octavius Caesar”—a combination that never existed!
@ccredux: You can start by going to the generic Universal Crossword page http://syndication.andrewsmcmeel.com/puzzles/crosswords
ReplyDeleteIt will, as you know, display today's 12/29 puzzle. Just above the puzzle - to the right of the puzzle title and constructor name, you will see a bunch of icons:
- an arrow in a circle
- a timer
- a printer symbol
- a question-mark in a box
- a gear wheel
- five dots in a square
- the letter 'i' in a circle.
Click on the icon that has five dots in a square, and you'll see a list of puzzles. Select "Due Up", dig in.
@kitshef— thank you so much!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, @kitshef!
ReplyDeleteI use the NATO alphabet every day, so "Sierra follower" is so obviously TANGO that I would have a hard time thinking of anything else. I don't even know what Sierra is. I think it's an American geographical feature, a mountain or a desert or maybe the name of a forest.
ReplyDeleteFor 17A my first thought was "Every surface."
Robyn Weintraub never disappoints.
ReplyDelete"OOZING CHARM from every pore, he oiled his way around the floor..." --"You Did It" from My Fair Lady
ReplyDeleteAnother Friday Robyn romp. Enough to put a smile on even OSCARTHEGROUCH. Clean and cut(i)e, a winner--BY more than A NOSE. Eagle.
Wordle par.
RELAX CUTIE, OOZE CHARM
ReplyDeleteIDON'TMIND just what YOU do,
A LONELY LOSTLOVE FOR THE CRUE?
BUT IT'SAFACT,
BY VIDEOCHAT,
DON'T SIGHS matter FOR YOUTOO?
--- OCTAVIUS "OTTO" HALL
RUBY, DON'T take yer LOVE to town. IDON'TMIND this puz ATOLL. In a former softball league one of our main rivals named themselves Motley CRUE.
ReplyDeleteAs Frankie Goes to Hollywood said, "RELAX."
Wordle par. Rock of Ages . . .
Had to laugh at 1A
ReplyDeleteBit by bit - got it all.
Lady Di
I'm finding it inordinately difficult to get to the puzzle for Thursday, 12/7/23, No. 1102
ReplyDeleteIf it’s 1102, then that’s Nov 2. Easy to find in Blog Archive (sidebar)
Delete