Real wowers / SAT 10-19-24 / "Anything goes" period in early Hollywood history / "Travel as a Political Act" author, 2009 / Block for "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" / Half of LV / Sustenance, slangily / Dialect in the Black community, in brief / Beyoncé's 2009-10 ___ Tour / Lab evidence, perhaps / Pumpkin substitute
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Constructor: August Miller
Relative difficulty: No idea (felt hard, but I'm up late with a stupid stupid head cold, so everything feels hard)
Word of the Day: RICK STEVES (58A: "Travel as a Political Act" author, 2009) —
Richard John Steves Jr. (born May 10, 1955) is an American travel writer, author, activist, and television personality. His travel philosophy encourages people to explore less-touristy areas of destinations and to become immersed in the local people's way of life. Starting in 2000, he hosted Rick Steves' Europe, a travel series on public television. Steves also has a public radio travel show called Travel with Rick Steves (2005−present) and has authored numerous travel guides, the first of which was the popular Europe Through the Back Door. In 2006, he became a syndicated newspaper columnist, and in 2010, his company released a mobile phone application called "Rick Steves’ Audio Europe" containing self-guided walking tours and geographic information. (wikipedia)
• • •
That SE corner was like a separate puzzle, 5x harder than the rest of it for me. Is it AUGER or AUGUR? Couldn't remember. That clue on MERIT, ugh, I have read and written about Pope (back in college)—no help. I thought it was MERIT, but it seemed a long, weird way to go for MERIT, so I left parts of it blank. I thought [Priors, e.g.] were part of a criminal record, so that was fun. I had BEAUTS (44D: Real wowers), but in trying to parse the answer for 56A: Plant matter? (so hard!), that "U" seemed impossible, so I ended up rethinking BEAUTS: "is it BEASTS???" (it was not). And then TEL. as a "C.V. listing" did not compute—I was thinking about education and work experience. So even though REST / AREA and ANKA and COVE and TACH and PEABODY were all really easy, that corner still murdered me. Once I got out, everything seemed easy, but not easy easy. Just normal "moving through a Saturday" easy.
This was one of those puzzles that opened with a total bust in the NW. Just ... nothing. I could do nothing. I was sure that the "Lab" in 1A: Lab evidence, perhaps (PAW PRINTS) was dog-related, but DOG HAIR or SHEDDING wouldn't fit, so ??? But the main issue was all those short Downs. None of them computed. Well, nothing from 1D: Premium outlet? to 5D: Hit with another water balloon, the latter of which I wrote in as REPELT, thinking "wow, that's awful" (note: RESOAK is not much better). Bizarrely, the very first thing I wrote in the grid was IPAD MINI. I was in no way sure, but it was the first thing that came to me and it fit. Could not remember the capital of Greenland, though, so I couldn't confirm IPAD MINI, until, magically, SUED led to KNEE and SUN-UP and DUES, and, well, here is my highly atypical opening gambit (who starts in the center?):
I finished up ... where I began, in the pesky NW, which seemed a lot less pesky when I returned (via the back ends of all those long Acrosses). Still, UFO REPORTS was hard to parse (14A: Some tabloid fodder). As for PRE-CODE ERA, that was a highlight for me. I watch a lot (lot lot) of movies and "PRE-CODE" is a common term for anything made pre-1934—the year when the (extremely restrictive) Production Code went into effect. So I loved seeing this term today, but the clue (19A: "Anything goes" period in early Hollywood history) ... I don't know what the quotation marks around "anything goes" are doing. What is that a quote from? I've never heard anyone use that term to describe the PRE-CODE ERA. Because despite the fact that those early films could get pretty racy (compared to the movies of the subsequent 3+ decades (!)), "anything goes" is inaccurate, or at least a huge exaggeration. Restrictions on depictions of sex, violence, etc. were just ... laxer, and not officially imposed. Coincidentally, and somewhat ironically, the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes debuted in 1934 (the first year of the Motion Picture Production Code), but when it made its way to the big screen two years later, the PRE-CODE ERA was over, and guess what? Anything did not go:
The film required revisions of Cole Porter's lyrics to pass Production Code censors. Only four of his songs remained: "Anything Goes", "I Get a Kick Out of You", "There'll Always Be a Lady Fair" and "You're the Top". "You're the Top" contained substantially revised lyrics, and only the first line (sung by Ethel Merman during the opening credits) was retained from the song "Anything Goes". (wikipedia)
So I loved PRE-CODE ERA, but the clue kind of threw me. Seems like a hard answer if you're not a cinephile.
Bullets:
- 21A: Beyoncé's 2009-10 ___ Tour (I AM) — a fifteen-year-old tour name? No hope. Well, some hope—once I got the -AM, I figured it out. I mean, it's probably not gonna be the SAM Tour or the PAM Tour, right? JAM seemed off. GAM would be racy, in a PRE-CODE ERA sort of way, but unlikely. Beyoncé had a 2008 album titled I Am ... Sasha Fierce, so that's one way people might have known / remembered the tour name.
- 41A: Six-time U.S. Open champion, familiarly (SERENA) — was looking for a nickname here, not just a first name. Also, since there's a U.S. Open in golf as well as tennis, I was not sure of this answer until I got to "S---NA"
- 1D: Premium outlet? (PUMP) — "Premium" as in gasoline. The gas angle definitely occurred to me right away, but didn't get me anywhere near the answer.
- 48A: Dialect in the Black community, in brief (AAVE) — African-American Vernacular English
- 37A: Actress Day of "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" (ANDRA) — another tough name for me, despite the fact that I *know* I've seen, and possibly written about, her crossword-friendly name before. See, here we go—just last year, she was my Word of the Day (Sep. 15, 2023). Maybe this time, the name will stick.
- 24D: Parts of many science museums (PLANETARIA) — had "PLA-" and wanted PLAY AREAS or something like that. Then, when I got the whole thing (from crosses, mostly), I thought it said PLANET ATRIA and was like "what the hell are those?" Did I mention that I have a cold?
- 34D: Hit bottom, maybe (SANK) — it occurs to me that SINK would work just fine for this clue, which would give you ANDRI DAY, which, honestly, seems like a plausible name. ANDRA sems more namelike, for sure, but if you wiped out on the rocky shores of ANDRI, I sympathize, for sure.
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
104 comments:
RICK STEVES is a total Baader-Meinhof phenomenon for me. If it had shown up in the puzzle 3 weeks ago, I would have been right there in ignorance with Rex, but this puzzle is something like the 5th time encountering the name. Funny how that happens.
The SW sector was impossible for me. The actress, the PBS show, the indie CRED, gah. I ended up cheating on the first two of those because my laptop's battery charge was nearing its end and I was tiring of the struggle. I hate solving online, but I am in Prague at the moment (hence the early post) and have no access to a printer.
Thanks, August Miller.
Medium-tough. Unlike @Rex I thought the NW was pretty easy as PUMP went in with no crosses and PRE CODE ERA was a gimme. The NE was easy-medium, but the rest was pretty tough for me.
Quite a few WOEs: ADA TWIST, RICK STEVES, PBSKIDS, ANDRA, NUUK, IAM, MERIT
Solid but I agree with @Rex that it seemed a tad heavy on the trivia. It also seemed a tad light on sparkle, didn’t hate it.
RICK STEVES gave me my first DNF in a long, long time and it wasn't even because of ADA TWIST. Had a mistake somewhere but couldn't figure it out, ran the vowels on ANDRA, went over every single clue, but just could not find it. Turns out I had the singular 'holy man' instead of HOLY MEN and just couldn't spot the error, with Rick Staves being a perfectly plausible name. Alas...
DNF and that hasn’t happened in a long while. Really tough for me. Not in my wheelhouse.
Medium-Challenging. My experience closely tracked @jae's.
Thanks for the warning about your cold, @Rex. I'll be sure to Purel my keyboard after I finish typing.
Overwrites:
I initially had ufoS for the fantasy novel illustrations at 10A, but only briefly because of MACBETH at 10D. The flying saucers were long gone before I got UFO REPORTS at 14A
Chai before COCA for the 18A tea ingredient
SiNK before SuNK before SANK at 34D made ANDRA hard to see.
hEarT before MERIT at 46D
WOEs:
Beyonce's IAM tour at 21A
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood from the 24A clue
NUUK at 30A (I thought the capital of Greenland was Thule)
ADA TWIST at 35D
Rick Steves at 58A
At 33A I was trying to figure out how to depict 27.5 in three Roman numerals
ADA TWIST brings to mind this old rhyme, which may be about one of her relatives:
I give you now Professor Twist,
A conscientious scientist.
Trustees exclaimed, "He never bungles!"
And sent him off to distand jungles.
Camped on a tropic riverside,
One day he missed his blushing bride.
She had, the guide informed him later,
Been eaten by an alligator.
Professor Twist could not but smile.
"You mean," he said, "a crocodile."
Was so happy to see Rick Steves in the puzzle! He's one of my favorite travel gurus. He's a fixture on PBS (which I can't get here in the UK, but enjoy when I go back home to the US to visit). And that book in particular is well worth a read (or a watch - there is an hour-ish long video available on his website). Anyway, had trouble getting off the ground with this one, but one I did it was fun. Always happy to get through a Saturday without have to look anything up!
Good puzzle. Tough. Precode Era was very obscure and rims can be attached to wires or tires. Feel the crossword keeps pushing anti-Kamala stuff, like "Did a 180" on us. Not helpful in the final weeks.
Ahem, ahem, STATE REPS are not ‘Local legislation passers;’ they pass…. lemme think…. State laws.
Disappointed with clueing, especially in SE. Uranium is used in nuclear plants, but uranium ore is not. And Rick Steves crossing Ada Twist - yuck.
PRE CODE ERA was the first to go in for me, no crosses needed, but largely because for October I’ve been diving into a lot of pre-code horror films that are *fantastic*. Also somehow NUUK crawled its way out of my brain cavity unassisted. No idea on RICK STEVES but like RP somehow ADA TWIST rang some sort of bell. Tho at first I had ADA T WEST which also felt possible. Hard hard hard for me overall.
similar illness hitting our mid-Hudson household these last weeks,.
Definitely on the tougher side - the segmented grid and some obscure trivia are the culprits. I liked it overall - the NW and SE corners were solid and fun.
Needed every cross for ADA TWIST and ANDRA. Don’t watch as much classic cinema as the big guy but I go through periods and can remember George Clooney’s father refer to PRE CODE often. Took me some time to parse URANIUM ORE.
I have my books and my poetry to protect me
Side eye to the crossing Apple - Toyota product placement. An AUGeR is a drill or bore. Knew the soliloquy had to be Shakespeare - the M closed the deal. Didn’t really know PICTIONARY and STATE REPS was brutally flat so that corner was a slog.
Enjoyable - chilly Saturday morning solve. I didn’t recognize today’s Stumper constructor but it was a pleasant surprise.
NRBQ
First DNF in ages. SW corner was brutal.
Oh yes, this one did feel to me like a proper Saturday, where I resorted to throwing in stabs and hoping they would stick, where clues pointed to many possibilities, where fill-ins that I was sure of felt fabulous (not routine), and where the solve was peppered with moments of triumph, when after grimacing over a clue for ages, its trick finally clicked.
This is what I want on Saturday.
Oh, by the way, there are only two NYT constructors over its long history with the name August, and both showed up this week (August Lee-Kovach’s puzzle appeared on Thursday)! Cue Twilight Zone theme.
A terrific part of the solve today was coursing through freshness, answers and clues never or seldom used before in the 80+ years of the Times puzzle. In fact – and I did the math – one out of three answers in the grid has appeared only five times or less over that great span. That low “I’ve seen this before” factor got my brain cranking, which it loves, and gave the puzzle the same kind of charm one gets when visiting a new country.
August, you’ve had three NYT puzzles on three different days of the week. Only one NYT constructor has ever hit the cycle – a puzzle for every day of the week – in their first seven puzzles, and that was Andrew Reis. Go for it!
And thank you for this tough nut to crack, perplexing in the very best way!
One person’s PRECODE ERA is another’s RICK STEVES. That was a highlight for me. He is a true mensch and fame-wise, definitely xword worthy.
I do not have a cold and thought this was the hardest puzzle in a long time. Oof. Hands up for SINK / ANDRI. I thought that the Grip improver might end in GUM and convinced myself that DING made sense for Hit bottom. Lots of clever and tricky clues. Pretty fun brain work out!
Hand up for ANDRi and SiNK. And AUGeR made it impossible for me to figure out what eRANIU MORE was supposed to be.
Not my slowest Saturday ever, but pretty darn close.
I guess if you don't know RICKSTEVES you don't know RICKSTEVES. We very much enjoy his travel adventures here, he's knowledgeable and goofy enough to make me think following him around would be a lot of fun. Interesting guy.
This was full of enough stuff that took leaps of faith to make me think I couldn't finish it, but sure enough I did, while falling into the ANDRI trap, as SINK works just fine. So technical DNF. The horror. Said a first-time hello to ADATWIST and the NUUK (really?). Also MERIT as clued. At least I knew MACBETH and used to drive a SIENNA If I stay WOKE will I have indie CRED? No idea.
A proper Saturday indeed, AM. Almost Mislead me into oblivion, but not quite, and thanks for all the chewy fun.
@Rex-Get well soon. My exposure to colds nearly vanished when I retired from teaching, but grandchildren are filling that void.
I also struggled with most of what has already been pointed out. Fortunately the long downs were in my wheelhouse, so I was at least able to drop in PICTIONARY, ABOUT FACED, PLANETERIA and even BUS DRIVERS off of just a few crosses. I may be one of the few who actually recognized RICK STEVES as well, which is bizarre since I’m so terrible at proper names.
I hope you feel better soon, Rex - that must be some doozy of a head cold that you’re battling. I don’t ever remember you struggling with a grid to this extent - I suspect that would not have been the case had you been feeling anything close to normal.
Shocked that Rex knew nothing of Rick Steves before today. That was the easiest long answer of the day for me.
The puzzle played tough, as a Saturday should. I ended up having to Google the children’s book scientist - once ADAm WeST popped into my head I couldn’t see anything else.
Similar to Rex, 6D was the first thing I wrote in, but it was IPoD naNo for me.
Love Rick Steves. He’s been a fixture on PBS since the early 90s. Not only does he travel around (mostly) Europe filming TV shows and writing travel books (which were a fixture in the travel book section of any bookstore in the US), but he also goes from one PBS station to another for their on-air pledge drives. He is very outspoken about his political views (he has endorsed Hilary, Joe, and Kamala) and the legalization of cannabis (he’s very for). His recent prostate cancer diagnosis was also national news. I’m kind of shocked that Rex and a few other commenters don’t know him at all.
Did you know that some plant matter can be urine spore????
Huge Rick Steves fan--He's ubiquitous on PBS, so it's surprising to find so many NYT xword fans who haven't heard of him -- seems like that'd be a Venn diagram overlap. And I've read Ada Twist, Scientist to my grandsons many a time. So I lucked out on that pair of clues.
Like Rex, but thankfully minus head cold, I started this late and had little purchase and what turned out to be several bad guesses. After sleep, it became a proper Saturday challenge but suddenly doable.
I was also a SINK/ANDRI victim but knew Rick Steves instantly. He is ubiquitous on PBS, and we have used his travel books for years now. I even showed several of his videos in a German culture course I used to teach less than two hours from Rex.
All in all, a fun return to true Saturday level!
So funny, isn't it, how each of us has our own "wheelhouses" and so different corners of the puzzle can play so different? I hear RICK STEVES on NPR all the time and know him as perhaps the #2 travel guy, behind Bourdain (may he rest in peace). OTOH my Shakespeare knowledge is next-to-none, so the NE was much tougher for me (though of course I've heard of MACBETH and THANE and so was able to eventually grok them). Thankful for help from easy ones like SUNUP, TACH and REST AREA; PEABODY was harder than it should have been for me, clever clues on KNEE, . AAVE and indie CRED were woes for me and so the SW corner took the longest to fall. Once I saw PLANETARIA I was good to go (thought it was some kind of atRIA for a while and that messed me up). 22 minutes for me which is pretty good for a Saturday. Love that feeling when you finally finish a grid that looks just impossible at the start! Thanks, August!
You would think after 20+ years of this I’d be able to solve just about any puzzle but Saturdays still trip me up, and I got my ego handed to me today. The names! ANDRE, RICK, ADA, NUUK. Plus AAVE, PBS KIDS, PRE-CODE ERA and URANIUM ORE? A fair level of Saturday difficulty otherwise but … ouch!
Oh, and the clue for SWEETIE (pumpkin substitute)--that was brutal! Kept wanting it to be Squash, but that didn't fit. Very Saturday
Aren't they "local" "legislation passers"? They represent your local area. Works for me.
Finally, a Saturday worthy of the day.
My entry was NUUK, so like Rex I started in the middle. Then I really had to fight through this one, only to fail with ANDRi/SiNK. SiNK of course works just fine for the clue, and I had never heard of ANDRA.
I have no clue what the clue for 24A means, nor who ADA TWIST is.
We just recently discovered RICK STEVES guides. I like the guides because they are more honest than most about when something is an overpriced tourist trap and when it is really worth visiting.
For those unfamiliar with STICKUM, imagine pouring honey all over your hands and then playing football. Google Lester Hayes to see the resulting mess.
The NFL thankfully banned its use in the early 80’s.
Medium-ish here. RICKSTEVES was a gimmie because NPR/PBS. Also, Steve. I like Steves.
I found the SW the toughest, and really couldn't find a toehold in. Indie CRED? Sure. But could have been film. Or rock. AAVE? STICKUM? Maybe steak-umms. Mmmm. Steak-umms. ANDRA Day really wanted to be Anita O'Day. Didn't want SERENA because that's just her name.
I guess it's all fair, 'cause the music came when I finally put BUSDRIVERS down.
Not fun at all. Way too many weird proper nouns and quotes (yes I should know them by now and I do not), as well as answers that just didn’t jibe with their clues. Premium Outlet =PUMP? I get it but no. It’s not an outlet. It’s a… pump. Just does not work. And STICKUM? I have no CLUE what that is about. So so bad. I rarely dislike a puzzle this much.
Impossible. Everything in this puzzle was unfamiliar. Made me feel stupid.
Plant matter = Uranium ore? Yikes. Not a good puzzle as this clue and answer indicate. Never saw US vs. Billie Holiday, didn't know who Andrea Beaty was (Adam West fits, but was not looking right). CVs do not have telephone numbers. That's a resume. This was a puzzle in which some of the ones that stumped you, Rex, were ok for me.I put in PUMP right off the bat and lo and behold it worked eventually. But the SE was just ridiculous. Everyone in my college bought Rick Steves' book when we were going to Europe for the first time and I know where his office is in Edmonds, WA near Seattle, but can't say I have heard of the book in question.
I like a tough, clever one. But this…
Hey All !
Four look-ups, all PPP, to be able to finish to the wonderful melody of the Happy Music. Which ones you ask? PBSKIDS (Had P__KIDS, and just total blank, wanted PRE or PRO), MACBETH (I know, common, but not a Shakespeare know-right-awayer here), ADATWIST (don't know KidLit), and RICK STEVES. Oh well.
Rest of puz tough, but ultimately gettable. URANIUM ORE looks like it's missing a C. URANIUM CORE is more well known. But, I'd imagine to get a Uranium Core, you'd need Uranium Ore, no?
Do they say Nyuk Nyuk in NUUK? At SUNUP?
No ASS today (well, SASS), but we get BUTT clued via mooning. Clue wording seems off a bit, though.
Thought THATS NEAT of the four-stacks in NW and SE. Other two corners nice lings also. Tough to fill a puz with this much open space cleanly. Good job on that, August. Even got a Paul ANKA sighting.
Proper SatPuz here, unashamed of having to Goog. 😁
Happy Saturday.
Two F's
RooMonster
DarrinV
Reverse for me. Absolutely never ever heard of Ada Twist but have done several Rick Steves tours in Europe.
The SATFOR, THANE, STATEREP knot was my big problem. Made worse because I don’t think of state reps as passing local laws, though obviously more local than federal laws.
Hated it. Too much esoterica.
I do know RICK STEVES from NPR, but my first shot at 35D--where I had all but the T and I--was Adam West, thinking that perhaps Batman from the 1960s somehow filled the role as scientist.
The hardest part for me was the NW. I suspected dog and gasoline for 1A and 1D, respectively, but still needed to hack around a bit before the answers came.
I figured out most of the tricky clues but didn't even sniff a trick at 22A (just assumed that SWEETIE was a nickname or type of fruit or vegetable) till I saw Rick Sacra's comment.
I remember responding to Lewis about AUG_R, surprising to find the one thing I had straight in my brain that he didn’t. I think of the tool as something that “AUGs”, thus an AUGER. AUGUR as portend is the other one:)
Entry point to the SE choked with PPP, so it took a while to break through.
For the rest of the puzzle, very few certain answers at first, but lots of plausible answers of the same length. Today, I plopped in whatever came to mind and did that thing with my eyes where I’d try to see correct letters and ignore incorrect ones until a sure thing let me know which guesses were correct. Batting about .600 with guesses today - but it made for a fun Woosh once they were sorted out.
As much as I’ve listened to NPR stations over the years, I almost never watch PBS, so I’m team RICKSTEVES who?? ADATWIST rang a bell post-solve.
can any of you help with my app problem today ? below is my message to nyt helpdesk.
*weird issue ...i solved the puz but no music. i hunted down what had to be my mistake. changed a 'u' to an 'a'. again no music BUT i am locked out of the grid. i cant change anything and 'reset grid' is the only live settings option.. i know the puzzle is correct and completed. i check my archives and indeed it shows today as a gold star..all done..but yet the puzzle timer clock still ticks away and the app home page says i am indeed not done ??*
When I was new to the puzzle, I would need ten cheats on Saturday. These days, I can get by with one or two. But today it was five. NUUK, SIENNAS, ANDRA, ADATWIST, and (embarrassingly) MACBETH. I didn't remember that wonderful line.
Sweet little puzzle. Noteworthy for having only three threes, the fewest in ages.
Nuestros muebles llegaron ayer.
Hope you feel better quickly @🦖
I got my 10,000 steps in yesterday pacing in my garage saying, "Master, guest, back, dining, living, uhhh, just leave it here." It should be easier to unpack those 100 boxes than this puzzle. Maybe I am just tired, but this amusing puzzle kept robbing me of its own charms.
❤️ PAW PRINTS, UFO REPORTS, GET AWAY CAR, URANIUM ORE. BUS DRIVERS. [Vampire's bed time.] MACBETH. HOLY MEN.
😫 PRE-CODE ERA. I AM. PBS KIDS. NUUK. LAS. SIENNAS. ANDRA. SERENA. TEL. AAVE. TIRE. CRED. WOKE. RESOAK. PLANETARIA. SANK. ADA TWIST. AREA REST.
Propers: 6
Places: 2
Products: 6
Partials: 3
Foreignisms: 1
--
Gary's Grid Gunk Gauge: 18 of 66 (27%)
Funnyisms: 7 😂
Tee-Hee: BUTT.
Uniclues:
1 Muddy trail through the kitchen leading to a treasure.
2 Cave man explaining his love to a beaut.
3 Reputation of one with a radioactive personality.
4 When Kamala mocks the orange one.
5 Open minded stoppers.
1 PAW PRINTS MAP
2 I AM SWEETIE
3 URANIUM ORE CRED
4 SASS THAT'S NEAT
5 WOKE BUS DRIVERS
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: That which precedes topless sunbathing. GO FOR BROKE UNLATCHES.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
IMHO, Rick Steves was totally fair - certainly at least as fair as many pop culture references, but the *range* of proper names was the challenge here. It would take a village to complete this one; and perhaps that's part of its charm? it's WOKE. Introductions to black culture for the uninitiated (AAVE; ADATWIST), institutions and matters which deserve the attention of thinking people - i.e. CLASS ACTS: STATEREPS, URANIUMORE, PBSKIDS, PLANATARIA, PRECODEERA the capital of forgotten Greenland, bearing a native name; a reminder of what kind of credibility yellow journalism should have (UFOREPORTS). If you had to turn to someone else or research answers (as I did), I think that was part of the point.
And ... I spelled it wrong first time around today!
lol
Rick Steves was a gimme for me; he is a national treasure. My kids were in elementary school during the pandemic and his travel shows brought joy to us all.
And thanks to those same children, Ada Twist is a household name in these parts.
Had BLASTS before BEAUTS which made for a very confusing URAN IS MORE in the SE.
For me, three quarters reasonable + one quarter looming DNF (the SW). First, I looked at every cross in the NW and came up with nothing (I knew PRECODE, but ERA didn't occur to me). So, my way into the grid was through MACBETH x MAPS, which took me all the way down the right side. Then, SWEETIE helpfully gave me STARS and SLAWS, the R-A combo of which finally revealed my missing ERA, and that was enough to get the NW. But Daniel Tiger, LV (=55?), Ms. Day, an expected nickname (rather than a first name), and a dialect almost SANK me. I finally guessed PLANETARIUM, saw the CLUE cross and that was enough. It was good to have a brain-racker, and it was satisfying to finish, but it sure seemed name heavy.
Enjoyed this. Pretty spot on degree of difficulty for Saturday. Found the top half easier but the lower half slowed me down.
In an ADATWIST, Project 2025 proposes to do away with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
When I make a sandwich for my granddaughter, the jelly flows but the PBSKIDS.
Was Beyoncé's tour sponsored by a dog food company?
A celestial body where the only sound is opera soli might be known as PLANETARIA.
Very tough one today, but I liked it. Thanks, August Miller.
Depressing.
I cheated and cheated and STILL couldn't finish. Almost everything here ranged from a bafflement to a misery -- including some of the non-PPP answers.
The less said about the PPP, the better.
But let's start with my bafflement at "Half of LV". Thinking back to my Latin numerals, I was pretty sure that LV is 55 -- and 55 cannot be halved. If not 55, what? I had no idea. Now that I've looked up the answer, LAS, I see that LV is Las Vegas.
Don't ask.
I misread 40A as "One of a maRching pair" and confidently wrote in OOT without the first letter. For either FOOT or BOOT -- and then I clapped myself on the shoulder for my wisdom. Oh how the OD at the end of what was to be ABOUT FACED screwed me up.
I didn't know the DOOK-y PBS KIDS and wanted a vowel where the B went. I didn't know ADA or RICK, but I guessed both successfully. I started my cheating with NUUK (choosing the PPP answer that an educated person should know),I didn't know the dook-y PBS KIDS and wanted a vowel where the B went. But I was too proud to cheat on that bit of TV trivia. "Block"? Don't understand that clue at all.
This puzzle succeeded in riveting my attention, but it ended up causing me more frustration than pleasure.
Like @Rex got started in the middle, but overall was undone by unfamiliar PPP. Thought the cluing was fun. Loved the double entendre of Lab evidence…and in spite of being associated with the oil industry for years completely missed Premium outlet…
Bit surprised to find RICKSTEVES little known, but also that people who know him from TV and books don't mention his tour company. If you're in good shape, and don't insist on US style hotels, his tours are a great way to get an introduction to Europe. See: https://www.ricksteves.com/tours
While I knew him, ADATWIST was a complete unknown. Likewise several other names, such as ANDRA and NUUK....
RICK STEVES' video tours through France were a staple of my high school French class!
RICK STEVES came to my party very early. I watch a lot of PBS - even with the KIDS - so I was happy to dance with him.
Let's see...I rarely move to any other parts of a puzzle if I haven't solved my 1A and 1D I don't care how many times I have to stare... since my puzzle isn't enjoyable until I get my top done. I did....
PUMP! I knew you. We partnered up with PAW PRINTS and I clapped with glee. Keep dancing. I did. It took me a while to finish the upper corner but I did. Move on over to the right. 10A. Boy did you step on my toes. Do I cheat? NO. But I did fill in a BUTT here and a SWEETIE there and those crosses gave me the MAPS. Head for the middle. I did
Do you want t know what my only cheat was?...The clue at 33A. Half of LV?????? LAS????? I know, in Las Vegas. Ugh. Why did you screw up my train of thought? Move on. It's only one cheat, so far.
NUUK...I wasn't sure if I ever knew you. I guess I did. I wasn't sure about anything at this point. NAMES...all over the place. Can I get them? Little by little.
ANDRA SERENA and AAVE. Why are you in the far left corners. I had JIVE for a while instead of AAVE. Of all things strange, the BUS DRIVER going downhill gave me my passage and so did STICKUM. Finished that area up and then on to tackle the bottom. I had RICK STEVES in place and my GETAWAY CAR was waiting for me. I got in, thought: THAT'S NEAT....and ended with quite a slap on the back of my back.
I rather enjoyed today. It took me about 2 hours to complete. Only one cheat. Don't know ADA TWIST...Can't spell URANIUM....Now I know NUUK and PICTIONARY. Yay me. Favorite words today: SWEETIE STICKUM.
IAM what IAM....
Glad to have @Lewis back to auger augur and confess that he indeed has moments of mortal mediocrity as most solvers experience daily. And a double thumbs up for Rick’s books, especially Travel as Political Act…..much needed background reading for this political season. His classroom videos are wonderful contributions for any prospective trips and enchanting triggers for memories as well. Great Saturday fun with clueing like lab?” & “fuel?” to stir the grayish matter.
Rest & hot toddy to Rex.
2nd attempt to post:
I cheated and cheated and STILL couldn't finish. Almost everything here ranged from a bafflement to a misery -- including some of the non-PPP answers.
The less said about the PPP, the better.
But let's start with my bafflement at "Half of LV". Thinking back to my Latin numerals, I was pretty sure that LV is 55 -- and 55 cannot be halved. If not 55, what? I had no idea. Now that I've looked up the answer, LAS, I see that LV is Las Vegas.
Don't ask.
I misread 40A as "One of a maRching pair" and confidently wrote in OOT without the first letter. For either FOOT or BOOT -- and then I clapped myself on the shoulder for my wisdom. Oh how the OD at the end of what was to be ABOUT FACED screwed me up.
I didn't know the DOOK-y PBS KIDS and wanted a vowel where the B went. I didn't know ADA or RICK, but I guessed both successfully. I started my cheating with NUUK (choosing the PPP answer that an educated person should know),I didn't know the dook-y PBS KIDS and wanted a vowel where the B went. But I was too proud to cheat on that bit of TV trivia. "Block"? Don't understand that clue at all.
This puzzle succeeded in riveting my attention, but it ended up causing me more frustration than pleasure.
Wheels fell off in the SE today.
Rick Steves a total gimme but had just enough letters to guess Adam West (hey I thought it must be some Batman thing) Plant matter, already obscure, went out the window at that point
One plus from this not-so-enjoyable bear of a puzzle: I've learned that RICK STEVES, who I never heard of , is a beloved presence on PBS to many of you. Since I'm a PBS-watcher and since I'm interested in travel reporting, I'm going to see if I can track him down and watch him. Maybe YouTube will let me in without having to access the PBS archive.
Harder than usual. I was sure 1 Across was DNA Sample and then when none of the downs were hitting I changed it to Sample DNA which slowed me down a lot in that section. Broke through with PRECISE, got STARS and then everything started to fall into place. Had Toyota Tundras and Tacomas and SIErrAS before SIENNAS because I was sure "hit bottom" was tANK, and since there were two roomy Toyotas beginning with "T" that made sense until nothing else worked. Never heard of RICK STEVES. ADA TWIST rang a distant bell. Had a near Natick with AAVE crossing PLANETARIA as I thought it could be PLANETeRIA and maybe AeVE as I had never come across either option. Tried the "A" when it was clear I had a mistake and got the happy music. Good challenging Saturday for me. Finished in 42:08.
Seems a bit of a stretch, especially with how long it takes these to get published. BTW, the other candidate seems to do 180s almost daily.
lol. i in fact had sink/andri but i didn't believe it.
andre was better, but that would have left me with senk.
i went and looked up the movie on imdb - never heard of the movie or of andra day.
This puzzle would have been impossible without my Try Hard Guides next to me. I have one question. Who is Uraniu M. More?
That many individuals came up empty on Rick Steves is a reminder that however much we think we know, there will be gaping holes in our knowledge-base. Have a super weekend!
I'm a little surprised that Rick Steves is unknown to so many here, as he is a fixture on
PBS. As for my knowledge, I live in Seattle, and his travel agency is based in a suburb, also I know a woman who works for the company and is always posting pictures from her work trips. The problem with Rick Steves' guides is that so many Americans use them for European travel that the "less-touristy" places he recommends end up being overrun with Americans.
I definitely agree, @Anon 6:20. Maybe some places in the NE USA think of state government as "local" but in the parts of the country where I've lived, local means county or municipal.
Understand your frustration, but the use of the question mark in the clue indicates that the answer will be a bit whimsical.
If ancient Rome had science museums, they might have had PLANETARIA. Here, they have planetariums. We speak English, not Latin.
I have no idea how to create a link here, but if you cut-and-paste this into your friendly neighborhood search engine, you'll find what's almost certainly the first recorded version of the term "Stay woke" in its original sense of "Stay alert, keep your eyes open."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrXfkPViFIE
In 1938, folk singer Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter recorded this song about the notorious Scottsboro Boys trial, which had taken place seven years earlier. At 4:30 here, he warns "all good Colored people" to watch their backs and be vigilant: "I advise everybody, be a little careful when they go along through there. Best stay woke, keep their eyes open.” (Good advice then, and just as timely now.)
It's unclear whether Ledbetter actually coined the phrase, but I know of no documented instances of its being used before this.
Don't blame your cold, Rex (sorry, hope you feel better soon). This was just NO FUN AT ALL! The only thing I liked was PAW PRINTS. A challenge is one thing - but if you have to cheat THIS MUCH to even enjoy a puzzle - thanks, but no thanks :(
WAY too many names and pop-culture trivia. Got it anyway by combination of crosses and guesses.
Rex, hands up for that SE corner being tough. And another big hands up for ADAM WEST!! even though... "scientist in a children's book"?.. say what? 20 minutes for Saturday; seemed tough but not a terrible time (for me). Yes a few too many names but not too many Unknown Names... ANDRA and ADA TWIST were about it. And the longer answers were good.
Like Nancy, for "Half of LV", thought: Roman numeral, so half of 55 is... 27.5? In 3 letters?
Re stickum, I’m giving away my age but if you remember Fred Biletnikoff of the Oakland Raiders of the AFL, you’ll know what stickum is.
RICKSTEVES story, back in 1997 before you could plan an overseas trip on the internet, I brought a bunch of Rick Steve's books from the library. I photocopied his trip guides for a car trip around Italy and Umbria. As well as some walking tour suggestions. I packed those in my suitcase.
Also there is a certain episode he actually goes to the hostel in Switzerland that I stayed in in 1981 in Gimmelwald I think. Almost fainted sering it on TV.
I had ADA_W_ST for 35 down and had to stop myself from making it ADAMWEST.
Funny how it is sometimes…RICK STEVES was a total gimme for me and was one of my ways into the puzzle
Yes, I remember him clearly. How was that legal? Why didn't players just goop up their whole uniform and just have a thrown ball stick to them.
A fun and challenging Saturday for me. Loved PRECODEERA, got it right away. And I loved seeing RICKSTEVES in the puzzle! He’s a local celebrity where I live, just north of Seattle. By all accounts he’s a generous and lovely man.
You delicate flower, man up. You grouse more about your 'head cold' than the missus does.. about anything. Rip crawled into the ER some weeks back, notwithstanding otherwise peak salubrity, an' five days later left minus an organ and plus a few staples. Yet you don't see Rip moaning, whinging, palavering + yakking about it. (But.. as we're on the subj., the EOB tally: $70K. Rip owes: $0. Dash feels for the sad sacks lacking solid coverage.)
So, do you have worms in your brain? No. Yuo felt the game hard (first Rip has spotted the very in the RD field).. because it was hard. Relativity, sure. But in the context of late Times puzzles..
And without saying.. but let it be sed anyway, your hard, a 12 ? Versus your normal 7.
Riprock, many.. many multiples of that.
I count this a solve, as ever, no consultations, sussed it, and so the streak plods on. But truly is was a fail. One, on filling the right half, the 2 by 4s propping Rip's lids snapped. Bam, out. And, a sleep on it? Auto fail. Always, one sitting required. Two, other end of it, SiNK, 34d, and ADAm WIST, 35d, done sank me. Because there were two, took a sec to suss it, but I went right to ANDRi, 37a, thereafter, mEL, 47a, which made no sense.
Notes on The Notes:
"it occurs to me that SINK would work just fine for this clue...", 34d / "was looking for a nickname here, not just a first name.", 41a / "I thought [Priors, e.g.] were part of a criminal record...", 40d / "One of the weirder things about this solve was that I got the long answers in the NE easily...". Yes / Yes / Yes / plus more Yes, though, as I dropped MAPS/A BIT/BUTT, 10/18/20a, I went headlong.
"Is it AUGER or AUGUR? Couldn't remember." 42d. Check. Here too, briefly.
"PLANET ATRIA", hehe, sounds something I would do.
"...the latter of which I wrote in as REPELT...(note: RESOAK is not much better)...", 5d. Aye. By the throw, you are pelting, but as a former, experienced guerrilla, Riprock observes a soldier-ette can hit but not soak as the missile bounces off target intact.
"Lab evidence, perhaps (PAW PRINTS) was dog-related, but...", 1a. Right, Rip smelled that one a mile off, but as I had 'fork' at 7d, 'fur' squatted the trailing cells of 1a so long it burned into my screen.
"And then TEL. as a "C.V. listing" did not compute...", 47a. Uh huh. Anyone who, "I dropped in TEL on seeing CV," is not coming clean.
"For instance, RICK STEVES. I have never not heard of a name more than I have not heard of RICK STEVES. Can't remember the last time I just flat-out hadn't heard of a name this long (a 10-letter entry). I kept thinking, "surely this next cross will help me see a name that is at least semi-familiar..." But no.", 58a.
Well, that's cuz you spend all yer free time hunched over crossword puzzles, rending the minutiae. You don't travel. At least not abroad, and certainly not to Europe, else you'd've heard of the guy. Am I rite, Ms. Parker? When'd this man last take you to France or Spain? Never.
I don't care for Steves' fey delivery, he's light on his feet. But he knows his shite. Riprock has used all the major English-language travel guides (plus several of the minor), early-on shoestring to later luxe, in backpacking then jetting in style through the decades, and the series we've settled on for EUR is the Steves. He covers it all, print, video, audio, comprehensively; he's a mainstay on PBS during the pledge drives.
But in as much as I've cover-to-covered some of his books, viewed a slew of the videos, taken in the audio while walking the great museums.. and listened to an interview as he spoke of traveling in Iran, the Middle East and the politics involved, I'd never heard of the clued, 15-yr old title (year of publication, uber relevant in travel writing).
And that described my lack in familiarity with ADA TWIST, ANDRA, STICKUM, Indie CRED, AAVE (I'll ask a couple friends about the full phrase and its abbrev., nevah seen it), PRE-CODE ERA and more. I generally do not seek or care to learn from word games - for one, it's extra superficial and, two, for that reason, it usually doesn't stick. Riprock believes endeavoring to absorb an ocean of bootless flotsam does not make one a more whole or engaging personage. Experiences, stories, on the othah hand..
An exception to this is PRE-CODE ERA, stemming entirely from your trenchant insight.
For those summary reasons, I was not entertained by this game. Did not N-joy. Thumbs down.
The write-up, two thumbs up - that so many of the steps recounted by a wizened veteran echoed those of this bibbed neophyte in a highchair (massive, unremarked disparity in time, aside), resonates.
Your first attempt also posted, but I'm happy to read you twice.
@Son Volt 7:13 - I recognized Frank Longo's name from earlier NYT puzzles, remembering it as one I was happy to see at the top of the grid. In checking xwordinfo, I found that he's had 91 NYT puzzles, 29 of them Saturdays; last one appeared in 2019.
Rick Steves tour guides are great. My favorite experience with his guides was going through the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. He led you to all the very famous paintings, then encouraged you to skip minor galleries in favor of getting a cappuccino at the outdoor cafe. Thanks Rick!
Total fiasco. I finished with three blank answers, and some errors to boot.
My first problem was mixing up MACBETH with the melancholy jACques. I mean, I know who each is but thought the quotation was the sort of thing the latter might have said. I didn't like it, because it gave me a racist term for 10-A, but I figured maybe another letter was wrong. I did eventually sort that one out, but I never got HERS-- I had bERS, thinking maybe your priors were bOgY MEN. Really stupid in hindsight.
Fortunately, I had RICK STEVES down pat; I wouldn't go to Europe with out one of his guidebooks. His only weakness is that he only covers places he thinks are worth going to; for example, I go to an annual conference in England that sometimes meets in places like Leicester or Keele, so if I want to know what to do there I need to get Fodor's as well. Still, I love the books.
I eventually got the NW, but the SW was my nemesis. I had to look up both ANDRA and Daniel Tiger-- I don't understand the word "block" in the clue. Isn't PBS KIDS a network?
I don't know the term AAVE, but was blocked anyway because I had REtirES (i.e., from the field, of an army) instead of RECEDES.
Well enough carping on my part. See you all Monday!
SatPuz-level hardity. Lotsa no-knows. Some crossin each other. Google research was often embarked upon.
staff weeject pick (of only 4 choices): LAS. Brutal "LV" clue. "Half of 55?" M&A pondered, uselessly.
fave thing: NUUK.
Thanx, Mr. Miller dude. Tougher than snot stickums, at our house.
Masked & Anonymo9Us
**gruntz**
p.s. Get well soon, @RP dude.
A little surprised that the English professor had trouble with the E/U in AUG_R. Also that RICKSTEVES wasn't familiar.
Another Rick Steves story. Visiting Stockholm about ten years ago, I borrowed a friend's Rick Steves audio tours of Sweden. Went to day trip on a state ferry through the islands, got on the wrong boat, went to the wrong island, dug out the Steves tour, and had one of the best travel days of my life exploring the island of Vaxholm, guided by his voice. Wound up in a cafe he recommended on the far side of the island, ordered a pickled herring sandwich (!), washed it down with an elderflower soda, and developed a fascination with elderflower liquors, St. German, and every possible kind of drink it's thrown into these days. Thank you Rick Steves!
@Teedmn 2:46 AM
"... in Prague at the moment..." You win.
"Half of LV" without further explanation is an utterly unfair clue...msybe the worst I've ever seen in an NYT puzzle.
@Carola 2:05p - thanks for the info. The name was somewhere in my head but not a Stan Newman regular. Hope to see more from him moving forward.
I also had PLANtatRIA (not planet, as that would be too many letters). I hate this kind of plural because since when does a science museum have more than one planetarium?
Not to mention the cross with SERENA, I'm expecting a nickname there as well. Maybe that's normal Saturday unfairness IDK.
DNF’d on LV cross. Who calls it that? And half?
Rick Steves has an excellent guide to Prague 😀
Agreed. I tried VEE and ELL. Simply bad cluing
I'm laughing at your planetAria misspelling because that was my last one to get and i thought aeve seemed plausible to me as I had no clue what the acronym was. Needed to come here to see my error.
Your grandkids have heard ot Ada Twist :)
Stay WOKE? Really? Has anyone ever said that? And KNEE? I can't give any KNEE to those answers.
RICK STEVES is probably the single most familiar travel writer. Hooray for PRECODE ERA!
Can someone explain LV to me? All I see is an odd number in Roman numerals.
Las Vegas. Half is Las.
I stayed in that hostel in the summer of 2023! Ended up in Gimmelwald on Rick Steves’ recommendation. The place is absolutely stunning!
Steve's has had a weekly show on PBS for years. My local station promotes him constantly.
I had the EXACT same cold 3 weeks ago, and also my first real “cold” since before covid. At first I was kinda relieved to have a classic head cold and the once it got worse, not so much. I was away when I got it and durning the flight home my ear got so clogged that I lost 90% of my hearing in one ear until a couple hours after we landed! Took me close to 2 weeks to get to100%. Feel better!
Anything Goes premiered on the comparatively less censorious Broadway stage in 1934. The movie version didn’t appear until 1936, when the Code was in full force.
But the song “Anything Goes” is about the 1920s. I was trying to get Roaring Twenties or the jazz age to fit before settling on Flapper Era.
Post a Comment