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"Bad you!" / MON 1-20-25 / Tween sister of Barbie / Kevin of "Shark Tank," also known as "Mr. Wonderful" / Eccentric expert / Path of advancement for a lawyer / Go along with prevailing wisdom / Geometric figures whose subparts mimic the full shape / Sensation of acceleration / "Biscuit" for cookie or "chips" for fries
Monday, January 20, 2025
Constructor: Katie Byl and Jeff Chen
Relative difficulty: Medium (normal, easy Monday) (solved Downs-only)
Theme answers:
Didn't notice the theme while solving (Downs-only), and my first thought on seeing the revealer was "GUIDE dog, OK, GUARD dog, yes ... HERD dog? Isn't it 'HERDing dog?' And TRACK dog!? What is that, a greyhound!? Boooo to racing dogs! Or is it ... a TRACKing dog? I dunno, man, two of these don't really work." But the reason they didn't work is because I was taking the theme the wrong way, i.e. imagining those last words were all supposed to precede "dog," when they're just verbs—actions a dog might perform. Work a "working dog" might do. A working dog might TRACK or GUARD or HERD or GUIDE. Yes, taken as verbs, all is well. And a couple of the themer phrases are even interesting answers in their own right (PARTNER TRACK, WORK LIKE A DOG). I could take or leave NO-GO AREAS, but BRITICISM I like a lot. It was fun to watch that answer come into view while solving Downs-only. "CRITICISM? WITTICISM? ... nope, BRITICISM! Nice" (61A: "Biscuit" for cookie or "chips" for fries). POINT GUARD is a weird one, in that it feels like a twofer. A working (hunting) dog might POINT. FOLLOW THE HERD also has a "not just the last word" kind of relevance, in that the whole answer seems like something a (herding) dog might do. But this extra-ness doesn't detract from the basic consistency of the theme. Like the (imagined) dogs in this grid, this puzzle works. It's not the most exciting theme ever, but it does what it says it does, and cleanly, so ... fine. Good Monday.
- PARTNER TRACK (20A: Path of advancement for a lawyer)
- POINT GUARD (27A: Position for Steph Curry or Caitlin Clark)
- FOLLOW THE HERD (36A: Go along with prevailing wisdom)
- STYLE GUIDE (49A: Manual for consistency in writing)
A chignon (UK: /ˈʃiːnjɒ̃/, US: /ˈʃiːnjɒn/, French: [ʃiɲɔ̃]), from the French chignon meaning a bun, is a hairstyle characterized by wrapped hair on the back of the head. In the United States and United Kingdom, it is often used as an abbreviation of the French phrase chignon du cou, signifying a low bun worn at the nape of the neck.Chignons are generally achieved by pinning the hair into a knot at the nape of the neck or at the back of the head, but there are many variations of the style. They are usually secured with accessories such as barrettes or hairpins. Chignons are frequently worn for special occasions, like weddings and formal dances, but the basic chignon is also worn for everyday casual wear. (wikipedia)
• • •
There was only one real "!!!" moment while solving Downs-only, and that came in the NE corner, where back-to-back six-letter names nearly did me in. I can't think of a less appealing show than Shark Tank. I've never seen a single ep. You'd have to pay me to watch it. So I have no idea who Kevin O'LEARY is ("Mr. Wonderful???" Yeesh) (10D: Kevin of "Shark Tank," also known as "Mr. Wonderful"). And as for STACIE ... look, I could remember SKIPPER. Wasn't she Barbie's ... something? Cousin? Waaaaaait a minute, my instincts were right. SKIPPER *is* Barbie's younger sister! How many younger sisters does Barbie have!?!? Three!?!?!? The third is Chelsea, who was called Shelly *or* Kelly (!?!?!) from '95 to '10 before becoming Chelsea in '11. STACIE is the only "tween" it seems. Skipper started out 8 but then jumped to 14 at some point. Chelsea seems stuck at age 7. Anyway, O'LEARY next to STACIE looked like a deathtrap for me, but once I was able to run both PARTNER TRACK and NO-GO AREAS through there, I remembered STACIE's name, somehow. And once I inferred ULTA (from U-TA; nothing else works there but the "L"), I could see that the most likely name-like thing I could make from the letters I had was O'LEARY. I had DYED as DEED before O'LEARY kicked in. Problem solved. Disaster averted.
My one other almost significant trouble spot was SUN-TZU (5D: Chinese general who wrote "The Art of War"), as I could remember only LAO TZU (the founder of Taoism). Very different people. And I had it as TSE at first, not TZU. But I ended up with CUS as an answer, which looked very wrong, and so I changed that "S" to a "Z" (CUZ! 25A: Since, informally), but still had LAO TZU. Eventually NO-GO AREAS and UPDO saved me. Big "D'oh!" moment when I saw SUN-TZU's name come into view. Should've been a gimme.
Bullets:
- 41D: "Bruh" ("DUDE") — Bruh! More 'bruh!' I gave you a Bruh / Brah / Bruv lesson just a few days ago, and here we are. In Thursday's puzzle, BRUH was the answer (to ["My man!"]). Here, the vibe is less excited (no exclamation point). More of a "What were you thinking?" bruh and less of a "Nice one!" bruh. So many bruhs. Too many bruhs. Lord, please never let bruhs appear in the plural, thank you, amen.
- 48D: "Bad you!" ("TSK TSK") — Has anyone ever said "Bad you!"? What a weird ... thing. To use. As a clue. Did AI write this clue?
- 60D: Eccentric expert (GEEK) — I had NERD. Not sure GEEKs are eccentric, per se. Their level of interest in a topic is ... unusual, sure, but many GEEKs (of one kind or another) are normie as hell.
Try to enjoy this Monday. See you tomorrow.
[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook]
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83 comments:
“Briticism”? No. That is not a word.
Easy-medium but I think this would be tough for a NEWB. CHIGNONS, FRACTALS, BRITICISM, OLEARY, STACIE, SUN TZU…do not seem like Monday fodder.
Costly erasure: spam before BILL prior to checking the downs.
Cute theme, liked it except for maybe NO GO AREA.
Croce Solvers - Croce’s Freestyle #978 was again pretty easy for a Croce. Either I’m getting better at these or they’ve been easier lately? Good luck!
Also solving down clues only, like Rex the upper right was a real bear. OLEARY, STACIE, and ULTA were total unknowns to me. I got OLEARY from guessing the acrosses (thanks NO GO AREAS and EERIE) but I had TRACIE for Barbie's sister, and ULRA was no more unlikely than ULTA, but at least POTT seemed highly unlikely. So I finally got it right in 12 minutes or so.
Never seen BRITICISM before ("Britishism", yes) and I realllly wanted to change it to CRITICISM, but LOW BID just couldn't be anything else. EERIly, my Facebook today contained a post of "How they say things across the pond" which included, yes, "biscuit" for "cookie". (And don't get me started on pavement, garden, subway, etc...)
For "Eccentric expert" had GURU off the G, which I thought was perfect for the clue but didn't work with the acrosses.
This was a terrible Monday puzzle. Too hard. Cluing was abysmal...answers too. Probably upped my average time a bit. Didn't find it enjoyable or breezy as a Monday puzzle should be. Didn't even care there was a theme...just wanted it to end.
My five favorite original clues from last week
(in order of appearance):
1. Got on first? (10)
2. Good for nothing (7)
3. Big whoop (4)
4. Exchange letters (3)
5. Chest beating sort (7)
PREBOARDED
FREEBIE
YELL
IPO
GORILLA
A little harder than most Mondays, I thought. But it was my own fault, because I had "rag" instead of RUG for the toupee, and "Suntsu" instead of SUNTZU for the Chinese philosopher. So CUZ came at the end.
BRITICISM is clever, but is it ever used? What about ULTA?
Kevin O'Leary is yet another smug, ass-kissing rich guy sucking up to Trump, and it is somehow even more pathetic because he is Canadian (but would prefer that we join the US). Hated seeing him in the puzzle.
Didn’t like it. I thought the construction was inconsiderate of the solvers. Having a brand name (ULTA) crossing two nobodys (STACIE and O'LEARY) is just, well, Jeff Chen should know better.
Similarly, having that LIN dude (who I believe is from Hamilton - I only ever see him in crosswords and can never remember his name) crossing EID and CHIGNONS on a Monday deserves a dishonorable mention as well.
Yes, I had the same issues as everyone else... I think FRACTALs are pretty standard vocab these days. But when I saw the clue about chips and biscuits, I tried to fill in "BRITIshISM" right away but that didn't fit. Had no idea that BRITICISM was a thing--according to Google, it's the preferred spelling/word for that. Anyway... great puzzle, tougher than average for me on a Monday but lots of interesting answers and a very solid theme. Thanks, Katie and Jeff!!! : )
Agreed, it should be BRITIshISM.
Spam, junk, much more Monday than bill. Also happily unsullied by Shark Tank. Also never know whether to chose newb, noob or nube. Everything inferable from crosses but more resistance than I expect on Monday. Well, maybe it’s a message about resistance.
I have to say that I dislike Jeff Chen’s puzzles. I always find the cluing slightly off in some way. I like Mondays to be fast and breezy and fun. This was not hard but it also wasn’t fast or breezy, and certainly not fun. SUNTZU doesn’t seem like he belongs in a Monday puzzle and the theme answers are pretty dull.
I don’t think either Caitlin Clark or Steph Curry are point guards. Shooting guards, maybe.
Steph Curry isn’t a point guard. Neither is Caitlin Clark.
I wasn’t able to guess the revealer today, maybe because my dog Teddy doesn’t specialize in tracking, guarding, herding, or guiding. He does specialize in being a heartmelter and smileprompter, however. These qualities make him more than simply OF USE; they mark him as a stroke of fortune in my life.
Dogs are relatively recent in my life – I’ve had three now in the past decade – and yes, I am enamored of and grateful for them. Life brighteners. Treasured gifts.
So, Katie and Jeff, your dog puzzle set my day right. The theme, yes, but also its echoes:
• The cross of ARF and FIDO.
• The adjacent Boggle-style DOGs in the upper middle, one being part of a Boggle-style UPDOG.
• The fact that this has struck some as “Chewy” for a Monday puzzle.
Plus, little bonuses like EDGE abutting the border, a semordnilap pair in the grid (NIL, LIN), and the gorgeous symmetrical pair of FRACTALS and CHIGNONS.
Congratulations to you, Katie, on your first Times puzzle, and thank you, Jeff, for partnering so often with new constructors; you help keep Crosslandia vibrant.
Thank you both for bringing a heap of happy my way today!
Same difficulties as everyone else—all of them. Tough for a Monday indeed. That Naticky NE—ick.
I was certain that BRTIshISM was the correct form, but Ngram tells me the two spellings have run neck and neck for the past century or so.
I was thinking "it's Monday, right?" on the way through this one, for the same reasons that others have pointed out, especially the NE corner. Even PARTNERTRACK is way outside my wheelhouse and I needed to think of something a DOG would do to finish that corner. Also, SUNTZU on a Monday? Really?
Good themers, good revealer, wrong day. Liked you offering KB and JC, Kinda Believed it was Wednesday, Just Carried on and did it anyway, and thanks for all the fun.
Hey All !
NO GO AREAS ... Hmm, is that a known thing to everyone but me? Like a minefield, maybe? Private property? Spelunking in a collapsed cave? "Don't go (in) there" maybe.
Got hung up on the Z of CUZ/SUNTZU. Since=Because (CUZ) not coming into the ole brain. What about "Mom's sibling's kid, to you, informally", or something to that effect. It is Monday, after all. Too tough a clue for a MonPuz.
Did like the puz overall. Simple Theme, not terrible fill. I'm putting the over/under at 1A being SPAM first at 95%. Nice misdirect, there.
No J, V, or X to complete the Pangram. Always look after getting a Q and/or a Z.
Monday once more, try to make it a good day!
Four F's
RooMonster
DarrinV
Briticism is in the American Heritage dict., 5th ed., mentioning Gallicism.
I definitely thought this was a little harder than the average Monday but I find that to be a positive thing. I’m not concerned about my solving time, I like it to take longer and give me more of a challenge! Had All the same thoughts which always kind of freaks me out a bit but I did not solve downs only.
I recently watched "The Sopranos" for the first time (only 20 years late), so I said "Sun Tuh-zoo" as I wrote in SUNTZU. Love ya, Paulie Walnuts.
Steph Curry is a point guard. So is Caitlin Clark.
Both are described as point guards in most websites.
Note to the NYT: I would’ve liked the puzzle to at least have a nod to MLK today. One of the greatest Americans who ever lived, right up there with Washington and Lincoln.
Found this one tough but fair for a Monday. Fell for the misdirection in the NE and started with SPAM, and had hard time with OLEARY (why couldn’t it be Chicago cow related) and STACIE answers. On the other hand, for some reason CUZ and TSKTSK came to mind immediately. On the basketball stuff, don’t be misled by the fact that Curry and Clark are both scoring machines. They are also their team’s primary ball handlers and assist leaders. That’s why they are super-stars. Getting both POINT and GUARD in the same answer was pretty neat.
I guess this puzzle does qualify as being crunchier than the usual Monday and that’s okay with me. Only real resistance I had was in the southwest due to typing too fast and stupidity. Yep, I had quickly typed in LbgT (d’oh!) and had LOWest instead of LOWBID. Lowest what you ask? Oh…the “implied” BID of course.
Hand up for never hearing the term NOGOAREAS but you learn something every day.
Difficult Monday (which I like). Enjoyable puzzle, ty Professor Byl & Jeff.
Interesting that there were two different Constructor Notes on xwordinfo & Wordplay. I found this amusing: "One exception is for 1A ["I'm just a ___" ("Schoolhouse Rock!" song)], since that's exactly how you pronounce "Byl" (which — you guessed it — many folks mispronounce)."
I normally don't like to ridicule people, but I make exceptions for certain celebrities. Kevin O'LEARY was on Celebrity Jeopardy 10 years ago and finished the Double Jeopardy round with -$2,800. They gave him $1,000 for Final Jeopardy (since they play for charity), and he lost that, too. The category was Business. At least he takes the heat away from Mrs. O'LEARY of the Great Chicago Fire.
Happy MLK Day....
“Since arriving in the NBA in 2009, Curry has been listed as a point guard.” And, “Clark was named the 2024 Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the year.” These facts are more knowable than Barbie’s little sister’s name, IMO.
Gilbert Arenas asked Steph Curry directly if he was the best point guard ever, Curry said yes, so he thinks he’s a point guard which seems pretty definitive. Clark is also a point guard
Any idea how to discern the theme when doing the puzzle online at the NYT website?
I’m never on the same wavelength as Jeff Chen. This one took me twice as long as usual.
Surprised so many had problems with SUN TZU - that was required reading for me in college. “Sun Tzu’s The Art of War” is branded into my brain. This was my fastest Monday by far. All the names (except the Barbie one) were immediate gimmes, and every cross fair.
had "spam" instead of "bill" and "go with the flow" for "follow the flow"...never heard anyone say follow the flow.
This puzzle lost me at 1A. You don't roast at a BRBQ, you grill.
I left the upper right corner close to blank.
I did however earn that EMU eggs are incubated by the male.
When l was a student in an all-white aall-boys English-language high school in l950s apartheid South Africa our Afrikaans teacher taught us to avoid "anglisismes," so that's why l first tried variants of "ENGLISHISM" before BRITICISM . Of interest enforced Afrikaans study by the apartheid govt. in the Black community precipitated the 1970s Soweto riots that hastened the end of apartheid and the historic de Klerk-Mandela rapprochrment.
for me, the shortening of because is "cos", the shortening of cousin is "cuz"
Hunting dogs "point." They also "follow" the scent. Sled dogs definitely "partner." Messy theme.
I love these lists, but I think it was a slow week. Only #2 would have a chance on most top 5s.
On this snowy day, I’m reminded of another one years ago when I was out having a snowball fight with my kids and a couple of 30ish guys joined in. I took aim and saw the face of none other than LIN Manuel-Miranda!
I thought I would give it a go with downs only today, but saw the NE and realized today was not that day. Harder than a usual Monday, perhaps, but fine with me on a vacation day - which I think they do from time to time.
@PH, that is hilarious about Kevin O’LEARY. I watched once and Cheech Marin (of the stoner movie series) cleared the board. Never judge a book by its celebrity reputation?
I liked this Monday puzzle but anything with a dog makes me smile :). Cute theme - but 5D SUNTZU was definitely not Monday level clue/answer. And I'm tired of BRUH too - it's not that interesting in the first place to be repeated so often..
Congrats on your debut, Katie & nice to see Jeff.
I think Rex misses the point of the revealer. The theme answer ends are not types of dogs, but verbs ... the sort of "work" dogs do. Dogs guide, they herd, they track, and they guard. The theme works just fine.
NO-GO AREA was a cringe for me, given the way that phrase has been used by the right in anti-Muslim propaganda in recent years.
As an Englishman i agree this isn’t a word. It’s up there with making tea in a microwave oven!
I like there being a dog theme. However, CUZ defined as “since” threw me for a loop.
Did you hear about the young couple that couldn't read so well. She got pregnant and they ended up taking a LLAMAS class.
I can still hear my old man, back in the days before circuit breakers, saying, "OFUSE, please don't be blown."
I was way, way more than disappointed to learn from Uncle Googs just now that Eastern Michigan University athletic teams are the Eagles. Let's see, are there any birds that are more directly suggested by the school initials (hint: see 39D)?
I had a bruh friend who sold huge quantities of narcotics at winter sports venues. Everyone said he put the KILO in sKILOdge. Then along came a NARC on SKIS and my DUDE was in the slammer doing 20 years to life at the tender age of 21. While there he took up coloring apparel, which kept him out of trouble so well that he was paroled in five years. Turns out that it was good he DYED young.
I once had a job shaming people. I was TASKED to TSKTSK. I guess it was a TSK for TASK situation.
I wonder how a single catikism (PURRED)snuck into this dog pound. Not only the themers, but ARF and FIDO! Anyway, I liked it fine, although I couldn't make the DO solve work for the first time in a lot o' Mondays. Congrats on the debut Katie Byl and thanks for helping her get there, Jeff Chen.
6D 7D and 8D hold 4 NYT “Strands” pathways to spelling theme word “dog”
Honestly, i hated today’s puzzle on so many levels. Too many weird references - cmon Briticism and don’t get me started on bringing up the art of war on today of all days
Trabaja como un perro.
A very Monday theme, but still a fun puzzle to put together. Harmless.
Well, maybe not harmless. NO GO AREAS and the spelling of BRITICISM made my head bleed. I bandaged my noggin with the PURRing cat and FRACTAL love.
Reblox looks like fun.
I've decided BBQ isn't an abbreviation. It's a word like ATM, DNA, LSD, and TNT. Words that have shaken off their overly complicated roots and stand alone against the forces of evil.
As a long hair flowing in the breeze enthusiast, like when the ugly duckling takes off her glasses and shakes her hair and you realize the swan-like beauty has been there all along, I find UPDOS and CHIGNONS less gala-worthy than others apparently do. Of course I always feel like attending galas is a punishment for my less than exemplary life and my inability to think of sorry-I'm-busy excuses fast enough, so maybe I'm looking for the dark side of those events.
Propers: 9
Places: 2
Products: 3
Partials: 4
Foreignisms: 1
--
Gary's Grid Gunk Gauge: 19 of 76 (25%)
Funnyisms: 1 🤨
Uniclues:
1 Nervous dog's excuse for barking.
2 Why Steph has a purple updo.
3 Overseer ID-ing shrimp hog.
4 My response to chalet question after the hot cocoa arrives.
5 Instruction manual with four distinct sections: Flattering Flannel, Fierce!, Flip-Flopping, and Conservative Dysphoria for You.
6 Those dyspeptic over U's. (Hey M&A.)
7 Result of Glass falling from half-clean gutters.
8 Drunken dog hides a bone.
9 Why Godzilla won't be invited to future galas.
1 ARF CUZ EERIE
2 POINT GUARD DYED
3 PODIA NARC
4 SKIS? I'M OUT.
5 LGBT STYLE GUIDE
6 BRITICISM NEWBS
7 IRA ROOF G-FORCE
8 LIT FIDO BURIES
9 ATE CHIGNONS
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: Collection of beers known for loosening lips and ending friendships. TO BE HONEST ALES.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Didn’t enjoy CUZ or NO GO AREAS. Yuck.
I'm a bit surprised that Rex thinks this is a Medium, "normal, easy Monday," although I realize he's doing Downs only. It feels like Rex says a lot more easy/easy-to-medium than harder designations. I wonder if he's ever gone back and looked at his designations over the year to see.
Hard not to like a doggie-based puz. Sure a lotta no-know areas at our house, for a MonPuz, tho...
ULTA. NOGOAREAS. SUNTZU. OLEARY. STACIE. BRITICISM. CHIGNONS. EID.
staff weeject picks: Torn, between ARF [a puztheme fractal, especially crossin FIDO] and CUZ [cuz it talks like the M&A].
Nice weeject stacks, NW & SE, btw.
fave moo-cow easy-E MonPuz clue: {Made contented sounds like a cat} = PURRED.
other fave stuff included: FRACTALS. DUDE. ALTA & ULTA. TED/LED.
Thanx for gangin up on us, Ms. Byl darlin & Mr. Chenmeister dude. And congratz to Katie Byl on her half debut.
I hear there is a bad chill in the air in DC, today. Everyone needs to stay inside and take in all them executive odors, they say.
Masked & Anonymo8Us
... from dogs to bats ...
"A Bit Batty Biter" - 7x7 12 min. themed runt puzzle:
**gruntz**
M&A
If you're a Canadian Okanaganer, how can you not know who Kevin O'Leary is-as in Trump's favourite Canadian along with Jordan Peterson? Both would be delighted to have Canada become the 51st state; the rest of us not so much so.
You're far too kind to Kevin O'Leary. He is actually far worse than that.
I see from everyone else that I was right, that it is Britishism and not Briticism. (But Google seems to be accepting both right now.)
Other than that, I quite liked the grown-up grid of this junk-free Monday. The theme was cute, if easy, and there was lots of theme density. I slapped myself on the wrist for writing SPAM in dark ink at 1A where BILL should have gone. While I changed it in the blinking of an eye, the mess had already been created. Other than that, a smooth and pleasant solve.
Do constructors submit their puzzles with designated days already assigned to them? I thought that might be left up to the puzzle editor after going through suggestions and changes with the constructor. I’m wondering how much influence the constructor has over his or her puzzle once it’s submitted?
@Toby the boring one 10:24 AM
??? Two bags. Tie around handle of giant mug. Albuquerque tap water. Microwave two minutes. Tea. "I say ole chap, this American football is simply riveting."
“That Lin Dude” has been globally famous for a decade, and has a Pulitzer, along with multiple Emmys, Grammys, and Tonys. And yes, he wrote and starred in “Hamilton,” the biggest Broadway hit of the past decade. If you only see him in crosswords, that’s a you problem.
Great analysis, Rex.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Curry
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caitlin_Clark
Comedians tend to do well on Celebrity Jeopardy! I recall Andy Richter cleaning up.
I thought the repurposing of WORK LIKE A DOG to its literal meaning was really clever and witty. So nice that the nouns in the theme answers all happen to function as verbs, too. And I liked the bonus features that @Rex and @Lewis noted: that POINT also works and that we have ARF. x FIDO. Plus we were treated to FRACTALS and CHIGNONS, as well as as contented cat (PURRED) among all the canine references. A very enjoyable Monday for me.
Do-over: spam. Non-do-over and thus DNF: I pass instead of IM OUT (didn't check the crosses). No idea: O'LEARY - thank you, commenters, for your take. Brought me up short: the C in BRITICISM.
“Bad you” feels like a real Briticism, if you ask me.
BRITICISM = Britishism with an UPDO. I wasn't expecting that, but was suitably impressed when it appeared.
@Joe from Lethbridge; like Rex I am sooooo *not* a fan of Shark Tank / Apprentice type shows. I have to admit OLEARY did sound vaguely familiar once the crosses suggested it, so I probably have seen it somewhere.
Nancy, that's why I always do the puzzle with a pencil that has a good eraser.
Rex pondered the theme and wrote "But the reason they didn't work is because I was taking the theme the wrong way, i.e. imagining those last words were all supposed to precede "dog," when they're just verbs—actions a dog might perform .... Yes, taken as verbs, all is well. And a couple of the themer phrases are even interesting "
For me the revealer answer turns light yellow when I am on a theme answers and when I am entering the revealer the theme answers turn light yellow, but different strokes for different devices.
Not to mention that EID is a significant holiday for 3.5 million Americans.
With 42 black squares and 5 longish theme plus reveal entries, there isn't much room left for interesting words crossing one another. I did like FRACTAL although it's one letter short of its designated space, but CHIGNON, also one letter short, not. I couldn't tell the difference between that and an UPDO to save my life.
OK, who left the DOOR open in Canada? There's going to be be subfreezing temps here in subtropical Texas. I'll blame it on Kevin OLEARY.
Juanita -- I've never used pencil -- not even the very first week I ever did a puzzle. And that's not due to hubris. Erasing pencil causes smudges -- and worse, can tear the fragile paper that's used in newspapers. It causes MUCH more of a mess than ink. No, my solution is to write answers I'm not sure of in very, very pale ink. I barely press down on the pen. My mistake today was unthinkingly being sure of SPAM, without checking any letters first, and pressing down hard on the pen. It was the darkness of the ink that was impossible to write over without causing a mess.
I have had “bad you” said to me when I’ve made a slightly offensive comment.
As an American, I’d never heard of this and it seemed wrong, but…evidently, it is a thing, dating back to the mid-19th Century. (GALLICISM is part of the same genre of naming). It appears that Non-British speakers of English overwhelmingly use BRITISHISM whereas in the Isles, it’s BRITICISM. The puzzler’s error evidently is in not clueing with that in mind.
I knew it, just took me three tries to spell it right!
I told you not to bet on Lamar in the playoffs ... Maybe Buffalo can make it to the Super Bowl and lose to be 0 and 5! Go Redskins! Oh wait ... go Commanders!
Thought this puzzle was good
Rex went on to criticize herd dog before he decided it was a verb. Me, I never seen herding dog but have seen herd dog. Have no idea how he comes up with stuff like that. (Sometimes the British add ing when we don’t, like sparking plug. Is herding dog British? )
Didn’t think it was that hard.
ARF IS NOT A HIGH PCHED BARK.!!!
YIP is a high-pitched bark. Arf covers the range but is mainly middle pitch.
Love the discovery through commenting conversation here. OP could have just googled but that would have been less fun, and informative tbqh.
My wife and I went to a clinic Wednesday for help with our persistent coughs. Turns out we both had pneumonia, with mine bad enough to merit hospitalization. I was finally discharged today, came home and solved this puzzle rather slowly—my wits seem to have lost their edge. It’s good to be back—hope to return tomorrow morning. @jberg
Like others, played harder for me than most Mondays but that's never a bad thing. Not the most exciting puzzle but definitely does it's job. Most of the long ones were solid enough, though BRITICISM is my least favorite - aside from whether it is or is not the correct word for the clue, it just doesn't look pretty in the grid. PARTNERTRACK was my favorite, that has some real shine to it.
Also, like others, SPAM went in lickety split with all the confidence in the world, BBQ came to the rescue to clear that up fairly quickly, however.
The propers did not thrill me today but happy to learn a little more about SUNTZU. I don't care to learn anything more about STACIE or any other members of Barbie's family and I'd be happy never to see Kevin OLEARY's name again.
The theme worked for me and was executed well with virtually no groans, OLEARY aside. Thanks Katie and Jeff for a Monday that gave me a bit more of a workout (along with my snow shoveling here in New Jersey) than most Mondays.
Yes. This.
Not seeing that anyone mentioned it, but I appreciated seeing the back of Kim Novak's head from Vertigo!
American (born & bred; 25 years old) here. “Briticism” is completely natural for me. “Britishism” is fine too, but not my default.
There is one Monday-worthy OLEARY, and this is not it. Nor is it worthy on any other day of the week.
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