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Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium
Theme answers:
- MASSIVE MASSES (19A: Services at a megachurch?)
- CURSIVE CURSES (28A: List in a fancy witchcraft guide?)
- PASSIVE PASSES (37A: What a tentative quarterback throws?)
- MISSIVE MISSES (48A: Long letters sent to the wrong person?)
Emil Nolde (born Hans Emil Hansen; 7 August 1867 – 13 April 1956) was a German-Danish painter and printmaker. He was one of the first Expressionists, a member of Die Brücke, and was one of the first oil painting and watercolor painters of the early 20th century to explore color. He is known for his brushwork and expressive choice of colors. Golden yellows and deep reds appear frequently in his work, giving a luminous quality to otherwise somber tones. His watercolors include vivid, brooding storm-scapes and brilliant florals.Nolde's intense preoccupation with the subject of flowers reflected his interest in the art of Vincent van Gogh.
Even though his art was included in the Entartete Kunst exhibition of 1937, Nolde was a racist, anti-semite and a staunch supporter of Nazi Germany.
• • •
 |
| [Missives. Massive.] |
The fill has more lows than highs (lots of ATESTS EXO ITPRO ESO-type filler), but there were at least a few answers that livened things up a bit. I like the puzzle's immersion in the art world. Nice to see Henri Rousseau here (last I saw him was in NYC somewhere, maybe MoMA? Yes, MoMA). I've (!) always liked the paintings of EMIL Nolde, so finding out (just now) that he was a Nazi sympathizer who tried to ingratiate himself to Hitler was pretty grim business. Of course (of course!) being a Nazi sycophant didn't pay off, and more of his work was included in the "Degenerate Art" exhibition of 1937 than that of any other artist. Unsurprisingly, he carefully hid his onetime support for Hitler from the art world in the postwar era, fashioning himself as a victim of Nazi persecution (not untrue, just ... not the whole story). Given his association with Nazism, I probably wouldn't cross his name with SHTETL in the future. Just a suggestion. (42A: Historical setting sought in "Everything Is Illuminated")
In addition to the art, you've got the architecture of Frank GEHRY, whose buildings are works of art themselves, and are frequently homes to some of the world's great artworks—see the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, for instance:
 |
| [43A: "The most important architect of our age," according to Vanity Fair] |
From the world of food and drink, we have tasty POSOLE (15D: Traditional Mexican stew) and my beloved AMARO, a crucial ingredient in many cocktails, including the Black Manhattan (33A: Liqueur whose name translates as "bitter" in Italian). I generally prefer AMARO Montenegro, but I must have half a dozen AMARI (5!) in my liquor cabinet right now, including this one, which I bought on crossword appeal alone (ETNA!), though it turns out to be pretty damned good:
 |
| [AMARO dell'ETNA] |
Bullets:
- 14A: Beanpole material, often (CANE) — the only way I know the (plant) term CANE is in the term "sugar CANE." I have no idea what a "Beanpole" even is besides a metaphor for a skinny person or else maybe that thing that Jack climbed up, but no, that's a beanstalk. This SNOT CANE NAIVE section was probably the thorniest thing in the grid for me, although the GUT USHERS POSE part took some work as well (ballparks have USHERS? ... yeah, come to think of it, I guess they do—I just think of ushing as being more of an indoor, theater-based activity).
- 7D: Art style associated with Henri Rousseau (NAIVE) — side note: I don't think there should be any stray "IVE" letter strings in an "IVE"-based puzzle.
- 42D: Some sandals (SLIDES) — OK I don't know what these are. Clearly I don't wear sandals. Looks like SLIDES are just flipflops without the strap separating the big toe from the other toes. You just ... slide your foot in, I guess.
See you next time.
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
ReplyDeletePretty Easy for a Thursday. Only one overwrite, annIe before DEFIB at 1A, thinking Resuci Annie.
WOEs included POSOLE (15D), EMIL Nolde (30D) and AMARO (31A). I didn't know Everything Is Illuminated, but SHTETL was fairly crossed. It also helped that I've recently seen a production of Fiddler on the Roof.
SHTETL was crossed disrespectfully.
DeleteAnd on D-day no less... Ugh
DeleteNot sure how it can be fairly crossed with EMIL, especially since if you don’t know AMARO you have “E_I_” which could just as easily be ERIC
DeleteWhat does WoE stand for?
Deletewoe = what on earth
DeleteI was way over my average time on this one, but mainly because of two spots, the scrip/cane crossing and shtetl. I put shtetl as my last word pretty easily due to the crosses. I wasn’t familiar with this term. So, when my app didn’t ding, I could only think shtetl is wrong. Or there’s more to this theme. It’s Thursday, maybe there’s a rebus I missed. Ugh, took me forever to see that strip was scrip. I read the clue as “make shit money” and thought, “well, I guess that’s shit work.”
ReplyDeleteCanes are the sticks that beans grow on. Often bamboo, often shaped like a pyramid.
ReplyDeleteSLIDES are often referred to as "shower shoes" (used in common shower and locker rooms where all sorts of yucky things await your bare feet); they're also longtime soccer player accessories (easier to slip those on once your socks are on if you're not yet wearing your cleats).
ReplyDeleteIs SCRIP commonly used as "makeshift money?" Never heard it used in that context.
I feel like that's the second EMU this week.
Hopefully someone can figure out why we were expected to pick up IVE changes to ES (besides just using crosses).
I believe the theme meant change "IV" to "E",
ReplyDeleteOne of those themes that contributes nothing and actually detracts from the solving experience. Rex and the rest of you may be familiar with the NAIVE Henri guy, me - never heard of him or whatever his NAIVE is - heck, I don’t even know what a beanpole is IRL (I assumed that they’re not talking about Jack, but in retrospect - who knows?). Is it made of sugar CANE ? Sorry, I don’t have the energy (or interest) to start sleuthing around websites to enlighten myself re beanstalk specifics.
ReplyDeleteThe clue for POSE (Strike one!) hasn’t registered, and POSOLE was a new term to me, though I’m sure I’m an outlier there - so that’s on me. And of course SESH is well on its way to joining ASS in the “Let’s overstay our welcome” club.
I’ve heard of SHTETL before, but not the reference work in the clue - so that would have to come from crosses only. Unfortunately it’s crossed by SLIDE Sandals (yeah right), A-TESTS - which may have been a common term in the movie, but I’ve never heard it even once IRL and of course the EMIL expressionist. What a mess today - all for a nothingburger of a theme.
Strike a pose
DeleteRex wonders if he is missing some cleverness in this thud of a dud Thursday.
ReplyDeleteElaine Benes : Perhaps there's more to Newman than meets the eye.
Jerry Seinfeld : No, there's less…
SNOT fun at all. Total BOLSHOI from the GETGO!
Finished with the crosses but could use help with Oxford figure = DON???
ReplyDeletehttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_(academia)#:~:text=A%20don%20is%20a%20fellow,and%20in%20the%20United%20States.
DeleteOxford faculty are called “dons” - “professors” are rare and honorary (Regius Professor of Ancient Greek,” for example ….
DeletePretty easy here. We have SERENER to balance yesterday's , TENSER I learned how to spell GEHRY, found out what SLIDES might be (as opposed to KICKS) and discovered that the Italian word for "bitter" is the same in Spanish, except for the missing G--in Spanish it's "amargo".
ReplyDeleteBest part of this for me was the memory of my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Vertucci, one of my earliest crushes. She introduced me to the joke about the boy who got hit in the nose and when asked "Is it blood" said "No, it's SNOT". Do I still tell that one? Of course.
The word changes were interesting but I'm with OFL in thinking I must be missing something. So it goes.
Kind of an interesting Thursdecito, ML. My Love for this one is somewhere between mild and tepid, but thanks for a fair amount of fun.
Yeah, hardest section was SCRIP, CANE area . Sure, I guess those work if you say so.
ReplyDeleteI know it’s acceptable spelling with an “S” but it’s POZOLE which is just better in every way (visually, pronunciation, authenticity, origin I.e, not americanized, etc). Too bad it crosses a themer at the S.
Very weak theme, made even weaker that 2 are basically the same. Replace the church one with something else that doesn’t start with M and isn’t just a simple single letter swap of “I” an “A” that comprises half the theme. Revealer was ok. Direct, to the point, but that’s it.
Constructor Notes are interesting. I would have agreed with the constructor friend - “like 100% sure” this puzzle would be rejected, especially for a Thursday.
Sure am glad I knew EMIL Nolde, because I sure didn't know AMARO. Other WoEs: POSOLE, SLIDES.
ReplyDeleteSeems like only half the theme is explained. I see where IVE fits in to IVE CHANGED, but where does the ES come from? (I see I’m not alone in this.)
Interesting Constructor Note at Wordplay: "I asked a fellow constructor for her thoughts on this puzzle before I submitted it, and she was 'like 100 percent sure' it would be rejected."
For whatever reason, I had "Lye" instead of LSD for "Acid," which ruined the SW corner for me. Compounded by not having any idea what wine dregs might be, I had to wait for this post to see where I went astray. Frustrating there but pretty breezy otherwise once I sussed out the theme.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it’s the theme cleverness in a puzzle that stands out. Sometimes it’s the cluing, or a scintillating answer set. Sometimes it’s memories that answers evoke.
ReplyDeleteWhat stood out for me today was the work involved in filling out the grid itself, that is, this puzzle satisfied my brain’s work ethic. I had a number of sticky places that I had to return to. They prevented me from seeing what was going on in the theme answers for quite a while.
When I finally saw that it was IVE shifting to ES, the dam broke, and kazaam instant finish. But, up to that moment, I was embroiled in the sweet riddle-cracking work that my brain hungers for and reveres.
I did like seeing USH, OSH, ISH and ESH in the grid. In fact, every H in the grid is preceded by an S from one direction or another. Just a little puzzle quirk that jumped out at me. And I liked seeing GEHRY, whose work makes my heart melt.
But I mostly liked that Michael threw this grid out here, challenged me to solve it, and when I did, it felt well-earned; my brain was satisfied after shifting from regular to hi-test. Thank you so much for that, Michael!
Incredibly easy for a Thursday. At least for me.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to forget the puzzle and praise Rex's shout out to one of the best radio shows in human history - "Morning Becomes Eclectic" on KCRW in Los Angeles. I have an incredible fondness for the Nic Harcourt era (which this recording seems to predate by a bit). I was living in LA then and Nic's show brought me joy and introduced me to new (actually good) music on a daily basis.
I left LA, and eventually Nic left KCRW and MBE. For those interested, he landed at KCSN and every morning continues his mission to be one of the coolest people around. https://www.thesocalsound.org
No, I don't work there. Just a big fan.
It was a quick puzzle today. My only comment is that I had “pozole” first instead of “posole”. I’m pretty sure my local Mexican restaurant has it right. Anyone else question this?
ReplyDeleteYeah I also had pozole before POSOLE
DeleteOverall pretty easy and I had fun solving, but would someone please explain the SCRIP clue to me?
DeleteIn Taxco they call it Pozole.
DeleteHow I played myself today.
ReplyDeleteFamous architect? Must be IMPEI.
Apparatus in CPR training? Well that will be the DUMMY. not sure why that’s informal. Must have some official name and you’re not supposed to call it a dummy.
Oh look, 1 down is DAP. That fits!
2 down is probably EMU but the second letter of DUMMY is U. Well this is Thursday so there’s probably some upside down thing going on, I’ll put in UME.
3 down is probably FIRM, and since the third letter of DUMMY is M that confirms my upside down suspicion. I’m putting MRIF.
It didn’t get better from there… 😆😆😆
I though the theme was cute but more of a Tues-Wed theme. It took a bit to crack but once you get it they all fill in quickly. The fill was brutal for me today. Even after figuring out my mistake and starting over in the NW corner there was just so much art and food reference that is completely out of my wheelhouse.
Also, MISSING MISSIVES sounds like a good sad person alternative rock album from the late 80s.
POZOLE
ReplyDeleteIsn’t it spelt with a Z?
Re "SHTETL" As a frequent non-professional transliterator l hate the standard transliterations of both Yiddish and Hebrew into English because they always seem to be the work of academic linguists who don''t care about thec rest of us. Surely "SHTETEL" is more felicitous?
ReplyDeleteDouble Natick for me. Didn't know gehRy/seR - and it could have been GOSSIPSESS as far as I knew. And I've never heard of eMiL or aMaro or shetetL. Guessed Emil but Gehry was just trying letters until I got the music.
ReplyDeleteIs ATESTS a real term people use? Even knowing the context it felt made up.
ReplyDeleteA-tests. H-tests. Very commonly used when the tests were more common.
DeleteWhich of course stand for atomic (bomb) test and hydrogen (bomb) test. Very common not only in the day, but today when referring to them.
DeleteYesterday, INANER.
ReplyDeleteToday, SERENER.
You've gotta up your game, Joel. This is not a good trend.
As nearly as I can tell, the trick is that the end of the first theme word ended in IVE, then the second word CHANGED to ES. That’s it and that’s all, as Billy Crystal says in Throw Momma From The Train. Nothing wrong with that but it SURE didn’t make for much of a Thursday VIBE. More like an extremely easy Wednesday where getting the first themer made the others ridiculously simple to figure out. But beyond the complete lack of challenge, it was a smooth solve which I enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteI would be interested in knowing how the powers that be determine what day a puzzle will run. Is it a by committee or an arbitrary decision of one? Because it seems like they’ve been off every day this week but of course, that’s just me, and what do I know. The constructor in his notes stated he showed the grid to a friend who told him it was sure to be rejected. I would not go so far as to say that because it’s definitely NYT worthy, just too vanilla for a Thursday IMHO.
Why is an Oxford figure (55D) = "Don"?
ReplyDeleteGoogle it.
DeleteI hated this stupid non-Thursday Thursday puzzle before I even knew that EMIL Nolde was a f—— nazi. Couldn’t think of any other Emils to use in the clue? This was Tuesday level difficulty, and the wordplay is atrocious. Also SERENER. Sounds like someone with a Baltimore accent trying to say “Serena.”
ReplyDeleteForgot it was Thursday. Inscrutable Vigorous Endeavor was supplanted by an Easy Solve.
ReplyDeleteI was also bothered by the IVE in NAIVE and briefly thought that it might be NATIVE with an IVE rebus and that sent me searching the grid for other IVE rebuses, which clearly do not exist, so humph.
ReplyDeleteJen Psaki spells it PSOLE.
ReplyDeleteDidn’t know Spanish or GEHRY and SEE seemed more likely there. Also crossing EMIL with AMARO and SHTETL through me - I guessed ErIc and SHTETc looked wrong, but no worse than the correct answer. Sad day for me.
ReplyDeleteHey All!
ReplyDeleteAre we going to get a Rebus puz tomorrow? It seems this puz week is off by a day. Today's seems WedPuzish, whereas YesterPuz seemed TuesPuzish, Tuesday seemed MonPuzish. Or is it just me? Or am I complaining into the abyss? Or do you even care?
Anyway, decent Theme, as Themers go. However, how to you have a non-symmetric Revealer? Isn't it verboten to not have symmetry in Themers/Revealer answers?
Dang, Roo, so many questions today.
Can't remember (there's a shocker) if I've seen LEES as Wine dregs. Wasn't sure what it was, and SLIDES refusing to enter the ole brain, so I ended up with an FWE of PROPHESIze/LEzS/Lye. Made my sandals SLIDEy. Why not?
Isn't The Rocks catchphrase "Can you SMELL..." , noi "If you SMELL..."? Dang, more questions. Inquisitive inquisities. Or something.
I HOPE you have a great Thursday!
One F
RooMonster
DarrinV
I think CANE is referring to the the stick in the ground next to the bean seeds that the bean plant grows up.
ReplyDeleteI got the theme answers fairly quickly, enjoyed that. Got all the longs as well.
ReplyDeleteExcept PURPLERICE, which I’ve not seen. I was looking for something something corn. Like Indian Corn (is that still a thing?)
Like others, I thought Dummy was the answer for 1A.
Struggled with AMARO/ EMIL cross, a Natick for me. Now that I know about Nolde, I’m meh. However, today I learned that I already enjoy AMAROs in things like Aperol Spritzes, a fine summer drink, Negronis which my friends recently got me onto, Campari and soda, another refresher, and Vermouth which is delightful with many things. Helpful learning there, so I hope AMARO comes back in a future puzzle.
The whole north was problematic for me.
I firmly object to the cluing for POSE. You do strike a pose, but who ever struck one of a POSE?
And what can we say about SNOT, except that itSNOT funny, and iSNOT an alternative to t’isn’t. (Except for 9 year old boys, bless their evil little hearts)
Lousy puzzle on any day, definitely not Thursday-worthy.
ReplyDeleteRe: Phillrad1999, Anon@8:42 - Don is a type of teacher at stuffy old English universities like Oxford.
Re: DR J - SHTETL is just a better transliteration than shtetel, it more accurately captures the sound made at the end of the word. The point of transliteration is not to English-ify the words, it’s to provide a representation of what the word should sound like, and some languages have sounds not encountered in English. You’re right that the transliterators don’t care about you, they care about conveying the information needed so that you know to pronounce it shtetl and not shtetel. Do you also complain that rhythm should be spelled rhythum or that owl should be spelled owel?
Not trying to outdo anyone, but @Pablo/7:20 reminded me of a joke from my school days which I still tell:
ReplyDeleteWhen you’re out with your honey and your nose is red and runny, you might think it’s funny but it’s SNOT.
Sorry.
@Roo (9:08) “It seems this puz week is off by a day.” No! Not just you. No! Not the abyss, just a slightly cavernous commentariat. Yes! I care and completely agree. See mine at 8:30.
Even Lewis and his brain had a hard time finding good things to say about this thing. I sure can't.
ReplyDeleteAndrew (7:08) Love the Seinfeld quote. Very apropos.
ReplyDelete@LiveProf (8:49) Psaki/PSOLE. 😄 Good one.
Breezed through this only to almost double my solving time after being stuck in the SNOT, CANE, NAIVE section. The only reason I made it out alive was after guessing that the makeshift money was vChIP (which makes no sense, but whatever) which helped me think that the answer could be CANE which helped me to see ONCE and from there was able to get RICE and then SNOT and then NAIVE (never heard of it in that context, but knew it was at least a word) and reasoned that SCRIP could be something although I had never heard of it other than as a misspelled shorthand for "prescription."
ReplyDeleteThe only other slight mistake was PaSOLE for POSOLE but OSHA was easy enough. I too immediately put in impei instead of GEHRY but an easy fix. Finished most of the puzzle in 10 but took me an extra 7 minutes to get the last section. 17:47
SERENER? wasn't tough, just clunky. SHTETL, never saw this word in my 64 years. Once I got the trick this thing unfolded like a road map.
ReplyDeleteOh, you little rascally summertime editorial crew crossing SHTETL and AMARO with EMIL. An enjoyable romp turns into a tragic tale of woe.
ReplyDeleteOnce I saw the pattern in the first two theme answers, I wrote in the other two without crosses. Makes me feel like a giant.
[Strike one!] for POSE is cute.
What a cowpoke from Hillbillyville says upon meeting tennis-playing Williams, "Howdy SERENER."
Propers: 4
Places: 1
Products: 2
Partials: 11
Foreignisms: 4
--
Gary's Grid Gunk Gauge: 22 (31%)
Purposeful Funnyisms: 3 😐
Tee-Hee: It'S NOT SNOT headlining my grid with an @egsforbreakfast style clue, tisit? Heelahrious.
Uniclues:
1 Springtime snowbunny.
2 Kodachromes of big bird at the ball.
3 LeBron is a loser.
4 My thoughts on remembering the last time I thought meaningful thoughts.
1 SLEET SKIER
2 EMU TUX SLIDES
3 NAIVE CAV SMEAR
4 ALAS ... AGES AGO
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: Performs a successful reconnaissance in a Mensan's bathroom cabinet. SNOOPS SMART.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Well, to be frank, IVE had funner experiences on a Thursday. But I'm being frank so I'll say the IVE CHANGED reveal made me grin.
ReplyDeleteGetting the theme answers wasn't difficult. MASSIVE and CURSIVE. You gave me the IVE. Go look for the others. I did. Now to fill the rest of the grid. I did but I had trouble along the way. SNOT? I had ain't. Erase, erase. Then I get to the trio involving angst and a bit of agita. GOSSIP SESH SHTETL and GEHRY. I don't know what a SHTETL setting is...Im Pei fit in the GEHRY slot and, well, SESH says it all. To add insult to injury, I forgot about EMILE Nolde. Why? I'm an art history major and I should remember you. I know why I forgot you...I don't like your paintings nor your style. And I haven't CHANGED my mind....
POSOLE can be spelled either way. In Mexico, you will see the Z. In Texas, you'll see the S. If you can have SNOT, you can have POSOLE.
I learned a couple of things that I'm sure to forget: IT PRO is a bug specialist. Some sandals are called SLIDES and KICKS is a slang term for shoes. PURPLE RICE, by the way, is pretty gummy in my opinion but, to be fair, I do enjoy AMARO.
More SNOT. We used to sing along to the Chiffon margarine commercial jingle: "If you think it's butter, but it's snot, it's Chiffon".
ReplyDeleteI remember doing that, too!
DeleteI used to wear a ring on my big toe, but after gaining a lot of weight I had to switch it. In other words, IVECHANGED toES. I know that this wasn't a very good joke, but I thought I was kinda funny yesterday, and you can't expect successive successes.
ReplyDeleteI heard that SETI is changing their mission and will start a Search for Terrestrial Inteligence.
Moving day is here, so I may be gone for a bit. Ciao!
Weak sauce of a theme and a grid peppered with semi-arcana (NAIVE, AMARO, EMIL, GEHRY, LOIRE, SHTETL, SER - I happened to know them, but still, come on) made for a low reading on the solving delight meter. And, to pile on, it seems to me that the theme entries aren't exactly parallel, with the first three -IVEs clearly adjectives, but MISSIVE a noun, as far as I can tell. Yesterday the change-up with the final duck was a cute flourish; today it seemed like the constructor ran out of gas.
ReplyDelete@egsforbreakfast 10:51 AM
ReplyDelete"I may be gone for a bit. Ciao!"
Unacceptable. Not approved. Why do you hate us? Do what you do do, then do your move voodoo.
So is Prince’s favorite rice a purple grain?
ReplyDeleteZzzzz. One of the dullest Thursday puzzles I've ever seen. The themers were all drearily predictable and the cluing was a total bore. The puzzle seems even more drab when compared to yesterday's sparkling Wednesday beauty. What a disappointment on my [usually] favorite day of the week.
ReplyDeleteThere actually were ushers in Yankee Stadium back in the 1950’s. They made a big production of cleaning off the seat and expected a quarter in return. I’d guess there haven’t been any of those guys there for the past 50 years.
ReplyDeleteEmil was a new one to me, and while scanning I thought, "Cool, we share a birthday!" and then even wilder, coincidentally, some friends of mine were in a punk band called Die Brucke. And then I find out he was a frickin' Nazi. Sometimes two out of three is still bad.
ReplyDeleteMedium only because of the AMARO/EMIL/SHTETL/SLIDES intersection (three of which were WOEs for me), otherwise pretty easy with the theme being obvious and helpful.
ReplyDeleteNot that fond of this one for reasons @Rex covered.
It’s “pozole,” and it’s not even close.
ReplyDeleteFully agree with Rex on this one.
ReplyDelete@mathgent -- I was coming here to say that I thought I could actually detect the Herculean effort involved in Lewis's struggle to find something good to say about this puzzle. And now I see that you beat me to it.
ReplyDeleteOriginally had CURIOUSCURIOS before I hit the theme
ReplyDeleteI have been doing the Times puzzle for many years and have visited this site many times for clues I can't figure out, and for other explanations. It seems to me that the comments from readers and Mr. Parker have become more critical and biting than in the past. Some of the more critical comments almost border on anger, as demonstrated here today. Maybe I'm just shallow, but when I do a puzzle my reactions are something like "That was easy", "That was fun", "That was hard", etc. But some of the comments here reminde me of movie critics who are just looking for something to complain about. Just my two cents...
ReplyDeleteA beanpole is a stick stuck in the ground for a bean plant to climb (since beans are climbers).
ReplyDeleteLooks like the NYT has sunken to a new low with SNOT. SHTETL? Can you tell I didn't like this puzzle? At least it wasn't a Thursday Rebus.
ReplyDeleteGotta say it … Puztheme was easier than SNOT, for a ThursPuz.
ReplyDeleteThe fillins did tan M&A's old native nates, just a bit, tho. [POSOLE/LOIRE. SHTETL/EMIL/AMARO. GEHRY/SER. etc.]
staff weeject picks: ESO & EXO. Some old xword-CROP acquaintances, to be SURE.
Thanx, Mr. Lieberman dude.
Masked & Anonymo4Us
trickier than snot:
**gruntz**
" I don't know what a SHTETL setting is," says @GILL.
ReplyDeleteThink "Fiddler On the Roof," @GILL. It's set in the quintessential SHTETL.
Stupid easy Thursday. Only issue was the P of POSE crossing POSOLE which is new to me. Otherwise a snoozefest. Also never heard of PROPHESIED so thought it was a double themer for a bit.
ReplyDeleteBlacksmith's promise after equipment failure? FORGIVE FORGES
ReplyDeleteWhat some do with used shoe inserts? ARCHIVE ARCHES
I spell POSOLE, you spell POZOLE. Let's call the whole corny thing off while I eats my HOMINY and grits my teeth.
INANER is less SERENER than much in this SESH, SNOTGUT.
Less than what I'd hoped for on a Thursday; not much of a bang to the theme. It would have been just fine for Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteOnly holdup was having GOSSIP FEST which delayed Mr. Gehry's appearance a bit. Back when he first became mega famous, I was working in architect's offices and was quite dismissive (!) of his work, considering it stunt architecture. Then about 15 years ago I read a good biography of him and changed my mind... there's a lot more to it than just arbitrary deconstructive (!) hijinks.
[Spelling Bee: Wed 0, streak 11.]
People are calling this easy but it didn't flow all that well for me. NAIVE art? EMIL Nolde? Ukraine not fitting in 42A? A total blank on acid = LSD for more than a few nano seconds? All of those joined in increasing my solve time, time that wasn't made up by the easiness of the theme answers.
ReplyDeleteThe revealer didn't fall into place readily - I read the clue and with HANGED in the grid, tried to make it into a sea change based on the clue. There being no C's changing in the theme answers meant this wasn't correct and I got that fixed. I've never thought of having chemistry as "vibing with" so that took some figuring out.
I did laugh at loud when my 1A Dummy turned out to be the (better) DEFIB.
Thanks, Michael Lieberman.
LSD twice in three puzzles. The general rule among LSD users that I knew, at least in the old days, was that you had to wait at least 72 hours after coming down for the same dose to have comparable effect, due to human neurochemistry developing a very fast tolerance to the drug (and similar psychedelics), but a tolerance that diminishes or disappears just as rapidly, after about 3 days. If you wanted to "trip" more frequently (God help you), you had to increase the dose (or double it). I am not familiar with the regimens of the microdosers who were so in vogue a few years ago, but my understanding is that they would acid microdoses (20-30 micrograms) at three-day intervals, skipping at least one week each month, and were using the drug as an aid in increasing awareness and insight.
ReplyDeleteTo Diane Joan: You are correct; the usual spelling is "pozole," pronounced with the soft "s" sound (as are most or all words and names with the letter z in them in Spanish). But then, The Times crossword also uses "tamale" as the singular of tamales, which makes everyone familiar with Spanish cringe. The word "tamale" does not exist in Spanish. The singular of "tamales" is "tamal," no "e."
ReplyDeleteHave you tried Amaro Nonino? I recommend it if you like Montenegro!
ReplyDelete@ghostofelectricity-In most of Spain an intervocalic ""z would be pronounced as a "th", (see also "c" before "i" or "e") and no confusion between pozole and posole would be possible. That sure took some getting used to when I was living there many years ago but it makes perfect sense and is no more a lisp than an English speaker saying "three", for instance.
ReplyDeleteAah, @Nancy...of course. I watched"Fiddler On the Roof" may times and I'VE seen the word SHTETL but: I don't spell well at all and historical setting could've been anywhere. But thanks because this I will remember...
ReplyDeletemost of the time, i enjoy the puzzles just fine. even when i come here and read all of rex's gripes, and more often than not think "you know, he has a point" i still enjoy them. that's why i solve every day. and on thursday when i'm having a rough time, eventually the reason for this rough time becomes clear, and i feel proud of myself for uncovering it. but that moment never came. i also happen to have a BFA and was only a couple credits short of a minor in art history, i took six years of spanish and enjoy cooking mexican & tex mex.
ReplyDeleteand still i must say...this is absolutely the worst puzzle i have done in a really long time. i actually gave up, having never heard of SCRIP or NAIVE as clued. CANE seems fair enough, but also weird. i spent a lot of time in my grandparents garden growing up and all i could imagine was string and trellis. looking at "t'isnt" all i could think of was taint. and how we used to explain that was the name because y'know, t'aint the front and [it] t'aint the back! just could not no matter how hard i tried get on the right wavelength today.
i love making pozole. i buy goya brand hominy and it says "for pozole" [with a z] right on the tin. but i've seen it spelled both ways that was one thing that actually didn't hold me up today.
i also had the same DUMMY guess for 1A someone else had, as well as LYE before LSD, and MaSSIVE MISSES before realizing my mistakes, but those i could fix. those are on me. i further hurt myself for, for some reason, guessing EEL instead of EGO which made GET GO and ORSON impossible to suss out. [the only vague explanation i can offer is that i've been watching a lot of fishing in australia on twitch, where the streamer i watch has been catching those freaky super long sand worms to use as bait and...i don't know. i was thinking about fish hooks as barbs and crosswordese by the time i got to a three letter word beginning with E.]
better luck tomorrow,
-stephanie.
A DON is the title of professors at OXFORD University
ReplyDeleteThought it was very easy. Okay.
ReplyDeleteAMARetto before AMARO (thought of a rebus, sorry AnoaBob) But the actual theme made things go fast
I'm as white bread as they come, straight out of the suburbs of Halifax, Nova Scotia, but I'm no stranger to shtetl, thanks to prolonged exposure to Fiddler on the Roof (a former partner was in a local production) and the musical Yiddish comedy of Mickey Katz (father of Joel "Cabaret" Grey and grandfather of Jennifer "Dirty Dancing" Grey.)
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/VwczIc4FNV0?si=XgCSRiy_rv-NNBLA
I agree with Rex, very weak theme and not worthy of a Thursday puzzle. With that being said, pretty easy but got a little tripped up in a few places.
ReplyDeleteWhen do we get real crosswords and a real editor.... These are pitiful.
DeleteRex is splitting hairs. This was an enjoyable solve with a really clever theme.
ReplyDelete@anon 7:16: What on Earth--as in what on earth is this piece of silliness doing in my paper? An inane theme, filled with obscure PPPs. And SERENER. I'd have been SERENER had I not even started this one. Mork calling ORSON: get me outa here; the SNOT is beginning to SMELL. Worse than double bogey.
ReplyDeleteWordle par, and yep, for the incredible FIFTH time in a row, a wrong guess on an either/or. *breaks putter across knee*
Several more from this week:
ReplyDeleteToday:
TUX IN GUT
PASSIVEPASSES PROPHESIED
if EVER I GET kisses,
I’m SURE I GET to GO and hide
from PAIRS of MASSIVE MISSES.
--- SGT. DON GEHRY
Wednesday:
RAREST SPECIES
TARA’s ALLURE is ICYHOT:
SASSY or NAUSEA next?
MAINE thing is TENSEST or not,
not OVERLY concerned WESSEX.
--- CARLOS S. PUFFIN
Tuesday:
COT IN REACT
ART and RITA made A PACT
that CAN’T LAPSE if under STRESS.
INIT, IT said, “Don’t REACT,
CAN’T TOUCH THIS ‘til I say ‘YES’”.
--- ABE “WRIER FRIAR” PSAKI
@anon 7:16 - WoE = What on Earth
ReplyDeleteIHOPE SNOT a problem if I POSE the following puzzlers:
ReplyDeleteIs DEFIB short for "altering your story to now tell the truth"?
Is AMARO bitter due to a presence of AMINO acids?
Was DON Corleone an Oxford professor before his Godfather days?
What's the connection between OSHA and OSHAWA, Ontario?
Was Frank GEHRY aver accused of Gehrymandering?
Is a change from "IVE" to "ES" really the theme of today's Xword?
Two things:
ReplyDelete1) Scrip was a gimme, which I learned in US history class in grade school, which got repeated in US history class in high school. Is that course no longer a requirement?
2) Two people said they had lye before LSD as an answer for the acid clue. Acid and lye are polar opposites on the PH scale. Literally!
Everyone seems so whiny today. You all do need to make up your minds about whether you want the puzzle to be easier or harder. You complain when a puzzle uses words and clues you know well from other crosswords, but you complain when it uses words or senses of words that you haven't encountered. I don't even drink wine, and I knew LEES. Maybe from Shakespeare ... yes "The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees is left this vault to brag of."
ReplyDeleteI just came in from setting out beanpoles in the garden. I used sticks saved from pruning the apple tree, and not CANES. Kind of hilarious that you've happily called skinny people beanpoles all your life, without ever knowing the metaphor. And it seems that American universities don't have dons, so you're all off the hook for not knowing that one.
You don't strike one of a POSE. The thing about poses is that it's possible to strike one.
I looked to see whether SCRIP was not used in the American Revolutionary War or American Civil War, and curiously the American term seems to be script, instead. (The etymology of SCRIP seems to be either a corruption of script, or shortened from subscription receipt). So maybe I can't tell you y'all should have learned the word in high school history class.
I didn't know any of the art people, but I never expect to.