.png)
Relative difficulty: on the Challenging side for a Monday
Theme answers:
Well my entire Ph.D. dissertation was about MIDDLE ENGLISH literature so you'd think this one would be right up my alley, but no, this didn't work for me. Something about all these pronouns being ... not particularly "Middle." I mean, they have their origins there, but all of these pronouns are going to be most familiar to people from either Shakespeare or the King James Version of the Bible, both of which are written in what we now refer to as Early Modern English (EMnE). "Thou shalt not...," that's KJV. And as for "thine," I'm guessing that if most people had to quote one line of text that contained "thine," it would be Polonius's line to Laertes in Hamlet: "To thine own self be true" (you use the possessive "thine" instead of "thy" when the subsequent word starts with a vowel, typically). This is a MIDDLE ENGLISH puzzle without anything particularly MIDDLE ENGLISH about it. And why 2nd person pronouns? As opposed to literally any other MIDDLE ENGLISH words? What is the logic there? I just don't get it. I get the visual pun—that the words appear in the "middle" of the longer answers. OK, fine. But THINE THY THEE THOU ... they just don't seem very MIDDLE ENGLISHy. Also, for the record, you need "ye" to complete the 2nd person pronoun set: "ye" is the collective form of "thou"—when you're addressing more than one person: ye. "Ye" does not mean "the," no matter how many "Ye OLDE Shoppe" signs you see. The "y" there is a stand-in for the long lost letter thorn ("Þ, þ"), which was replaced by the digraph "th" during the Early Modern period. But I (seriously) digress.
Bullets:
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook]
- TRUTHINESS (17A: Quality of a statement that feels plausible)
- FOURTH-YEARS (24A: High school or college seniors, usually)
- BREATHE EASY (47A: Feel relief from anxiety)
- LIGHTHOUSE (57A: Aid in preventing a shipwreck)
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English period. Scholarly opinion varies, but the University of Valencia states the period when Middle English was spoken as being from 1150 to 1500.[2] This stage of the development of the English language roughly coincided with the High and Late Middle Ages.Middle English saw significant changes to its vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and orthography. Writing conventions during the Middle English period varied widely. Examples of writing from this period that have survived show extensive regional variation. The more standardized Old English literary variety broke down and writing in English became fragmented and localized and was, for the most part, being improvised. By the end of the period (about 1470), and aided by the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1439, a standard based on the London dialects (Chancery Standard) had become established. This largely formed the basis for Modern English spelling, although pronunciation has changed considerably since that time. Middle English was succeeded in England by Early Modern English, which lasted until about 1650. (wikipedia)
• • •
As a Downs-only solve (which is how I solve Mondays), this had a couple challenging parts, the worst of which was BRO DATES (11D: Hangout events for two guy friends). "Hangout events"? I don't even know what that means. You mean that you, a guy, are meeting other guys ... to hang out ... and do stuff? And you had to give this basic activity a weird and vaguely homophobic name? "We're not gay or anything! We're just bros! Straight bros! Doing straight stuff!" Uh, OK. Whatever you say. Also, I thought the term was MAN DATE (yes, that is a term). What is the difference between "man dates" and BRO DATES??? All my friends are women (or gay men), so I just don't understand this all-male bro world at all. I had BROMANCE in there at first. The other long Down I struggled with (sorta) was MICRODOT, which seems like not a very Monday word at all (36D: Minuscule picture used in spycraft). It was in the puzzle fairly recently—just a couple months ago—and I stumbled on it then, so I remembered it today ... but since I had LAB RATS instead of LAB MICE ("rats" is better!), I didn't commit to the DOT part at first because it just didn't agree with the adjacent letters in RATS (39D: Cheese-loving test subjects). Most of the rest of this was very doable Downs-only. Took me a second to get DE-AGE, which I can't ever remember seeing in a puzzle before (33D: Digitally make to look younger). Oh, I see it has been in the grid before, just once. Debuted last year. De-aging tech has been used in a bunch of high-profile movies in recent years, so I'd expect to see DE-AGE a fair amount in the future, in that it's a short answer with common letters (majority vowels), and crosswords love those.
Bullets:
- 17A: Quality of a statement that feels plausible (TRUTHINESS) — I've never seen this term used anywhere outside the context of mid-'00s The Colbert Report. Pretty sure he coined it. The wikipedia entry about the term is almost entirely about Colbert. Does not seem like the term has had much of an afterlife. Weird to leave Colbert out of the clue.
- 27A: Disinfectant brand with the tagline "Healthing" (LYSOL) — wow. Wow that is bad. "Healthing"??? Really? Who is responsible for that ridiculousness? The only thing I like about it is that it sounds like "Hell Thing."
- 52A: Do a whoopsie (ERR) — ick, banish baby talk, or archaic talk, or archaic baby talk, please. Please. Nails + chalkboard. This clue is not healthing (though it is hell thing).
Ahhh, that's it! See you tomorrow, I hope.
[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook]
As someone who has studied Old English and sort of dabbled in MIDDLE ENGLISH, this whole theme really bothered me too. I agree with Rex, these words don’t feel very MIDDLE ENGLISH-y, more like Early Modern.
ReplyDeleteRex, thanks for the details on middle English. Specially the fun fact about "ye" and the old letter thorn (evidently Icelandic still uses it!) Please digress as often as you want.
ReplyDeleteAlso solving down clues only, it was a bit challenging but quite satisfyingly doable at 14.5 minutes. I had a few wrong down answers... for 44 down I read the clue and thought: SHOWER fits, but it's so stupid! A shower is not a "Downpour"!, but I put it in anyway. I was quite relieved when it was wrong.
Not being allowed to read the across clues sometimes leaves one torn by an across answer that is obviously nonsense. Here it was DMED at 64 across, which was a total WOE? (Googling it now, all I get is company stock symbols.) But I was so sure of all the downs that I left it in, and surprise! it's correct???? Yuck.
Also had issues with ACH, namely the clue: "German 'Phooey' "; Really? Maybe it is used that way, I'm no expert, but. When I learned German it seemed to mean "oh" or "well,...". Yes, Google translates "ach so" as "oh, right".
A DM is a direct message (i.e., sent to a particular individual, rather than posted for everyone to see) in a social media app such as Facebook, Bluesky, or X. "I DMED you' means 'I sent you a direct message.'
DeleteGuess it's lucky I never did dissertation on Middle English so I was able to enjoy the puzzled, finding the "Olde" terms as they appeared was reasonably fun. And many o the answers were good. I like truthiness. It was a surprise, Knew I'd heard it before, but did not think it was in common usage -I thought it might have come from an SNL sketch. Astral is a lovely word.
ReplyDeleteDid think it should be lab rats. I know I"ve heard of white mice used in experiments but I've never heard the term "lab mice".
Never knew "ye" was plural. I"ve been schooled by Rex.
Sharon AK
DeleteI am fascinated by language. While I didn’t study Middle English, I have read about it. And the change over to Early Modern English. Despite that, I like you had no problem with the puzzle theme. Considering Rex’s reaction this is a classic case of having too much knowledge. To me, the second person singular was used in Middle English. So what is the problem? Sometimes, Rex forgets the they are called clues for a reason. They are hints to answers, not part of dissertations!
ReplyDeleteEasy-medium for me, but it seemed tougher. No WOEs, but I also had LABrats before MICE.
Smooth grid, not much PPP, liked it. Nice debut!
…and yes, if you have TRUTHINESS in the grid you should somehow credit Colbert!
Croce Solvers - Croce’s Freestyle #976 was easy for a Croce. The toughest park for me was spelling/sorting out 14d and some of it’s crosses. Good luck!
I of course donated what I could since this blog is and has been part of my routine for well over a decade as a small way of saying thank you. As to truthiness , the OED reads Fewer than 0.01occurrences per million words in modern written English. I have to confess having lived in eight decades , I have no recollection at all of ever having used or seen this word. But anyway, just really pooped in to say thank you to all who participate regularly and of course in particular to OFL. Life is good.
ReplyDeleteMy five favorite original clues from last week
ReplyDelete(in order of appearance):
1. Virtue signal? (4)
2. Component of many a trial (7)
3. Pride parade participant? (4)
4. Group that works only for a few seconds at a time (3)(4)
5. Opera character whose name might be heard in an opera singer's warmup (4)
HALO
PLACEBO
LION
PIT CREW
MIMI
As a musician, I Particularly enjoyed number five!
DeleteWubba Lubba DUB DUB !
ReplyDeleteI’ll defer to @Nancy’s wonderful explanation of superfluous grid elements from yesterday. Solved as a themeless but unlike yesterday the fill here doesn’t hold up - DEAGE?
ReplyDeleteSome of them were dreamers
Loaded with 3s and 4s - never had a good flow going. BAE, BRODATES, OLDE etc are all rough.
Robin Trower
I’ll take a pass on this one - hopefully the week picks up.
ASTRAL Weeks
I haven’t heard anyone bring up the concept of ASTRAL Projection in ages. I always thought that was kind of pseudoscience anyway. Interesting to see it make an appearance.
ReplyDeleteThe theme seemed close enough for me.
My fastest Monday ever. Agree TRUTHINESS should have referenced Colbert. I have no problem with THe THeme answers all being pronouns starting with TH-. I THink THat’s the point of THe THeme. MICRODOT is easy for anyone who grew up during the Cold War (or, at least, when Cold War spy movies were all the rage). For someone who was not an English major, the theme answers eemed very Middle Englishish to me. I don’t know from "Early Modern English". BRO DATES was inferable after a few crosses. The puzzle had very little junk. I liked it.
ReplyDeleteAlso my fastest Monday, by a considerable margin. The contemporary lingo clues, with the exception of "Sweetheart, slangily (=BAE)" weren't beyond my limited knowledge in that area.
DeleteAnother hand up for LAB rats. That and BAR chart slowed today’s downs-mostly solve (I peek at across clues occasionally . . . ). Also, a good day to ignore the theme as usual. Didn’t see the clue for TRUTHINESS (that’s one I didn’t peek at) but surprised to read here that it didn’t cite Colbert. I can’t see that word without hearing it in his voice.
ReplyDelete"Drink to me only with THINE eyes" beats "To THINE own self be true."
ReplyDeleteNormal Downs-only solve, except for the SW which gave me a lot of trouble. I had LAB RATS before MICE (@Rex), and wanted ACT crossing INTERsomething (some INTERNAL-adjacent word). Luckily MICRODOT rang a bell (from crosswords). I checked and it appeared fairly recently (Sunday, October 27, 2024).
ReplyDeleteThe difference between MAN DATES and BRO DATES is that MANDATES can be clued as a single word. But seriously, I have no idea.
Once again we see an early-week puzzle that is a bit more challenging than was previously customary. I suspect this is a very deliberate move on Will Shortz's part. And I heartily approve. I never thought the NYT should be a place where you come to learn the absolute basic basics of crosswords. In my era at least (Boomer here), that's something you got from places like Highlights magazine or some mimeograph handout from your English teacher in elementary school. The Mondays and Tuesdays since Will got back on the job at the end of December seem more in line with what an "easy" or "beginner-friendly" crossword should be like in the NYT.
ReplyDeleteDisagree. The Monday and Tuesday puzzles have been more difficult, which not everyone likes...it can be discouraging for some. I've been doing NYT crosswords consistently for 3 years now, and I immediately noticed the difference when Shortz came back. Let's have some puzzles with some life in them...not difficult puzzles full of lame themes, groaners, repetitive cluing, and mentions of things that are questionable like Elon or quidditch. There is a whole new generation out there that wants clever puzzles, new words, and ones that you learn something from. Stop publishing boring ass difficult puzzles. Bring back Fagliano...it was a nice ride when he was the editor.
DeleteDid not expect to see what I think was a very clever concept dissed on a “what constitutes Middle English” soliloquy. I very much enjoyed the puzzle and after reading Rex and a few comments did some digging. Methinks SOME of M.E. has to do with spelling, other with usage. I didn’t search EVERY word but quickly found this:
ReplyDeleteWhere does the word thou come from? The earliest known use of the word thou is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
Besides that…Middle English WAS the tongue of Chaucer AND the English words are literally placed in the middle of puzzle answer word/phrase…and that’s good enough for me to invoke Joaquin’s Dictum.
Something with “You and yours” might have been a better revealer, since I agree that MIDDLE ENGLISH doesn’t really fit those four words. Had the same downs-only problem as Rex in the SW with LAB rats and no idea on MICRODOT. Once I switched to MICE, there were still so many possibilities on the crosses where that bit of spycraft would go. LaNE or LoNE, AsH, MaRTY, IcES, CaNE or CiNE, EsTA … all plausible. Seemed like half my solve was working that out. Then finished with an error on HEt / tRESS (hET is slang too?) ACH!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of this puzzle was the NW corner, my usual starting place, where a staccato of beauteous words popped in – RARITY, ASTRAL, EXUDES, even TRUTHINESS. Clearly, Adam has an ear for beauty, so I like that I HEAR is in the grid.
ReplyDeleteLovely answers elsewhere, IMO, include LEDGE, DELUGE, and INHERENT.
I like how MIDDLE ENGLISH is smack in the center of the grid, and I like the pair of echoes to yesterday’s “I Think Knot” puzzle – LACES UP and [Strings along].
An original theme, ably presented, and flecked with beauty. Just a lovely start to the week. Congratulations on your debut, Adam, and thank you for creating this!
There's DELUGE right there. Read the top list, somehow missed the middle one. Mea culpa.
Deletedid not find this particularly challenging. not a personal best, but faster than average. i enjoyed it. and it, again, is one accessable to newbies.
ReplyDeleteHey YE All !
ReplyDeletePretty nice MonPuz. Nicely found things that contain the necessary Themers. If you are a late year Senior who is about to graduate with passing your geography class, you could be FOURTH YEARS who BREATH EASY about LIIGTHOUSEs. TRUTHINESS! (Oof!)
Easy today. Went through quickly. Nice open grid. Light dreck. A good MonPuz experience. Eases you into a crazy Monday.
Hope THY have a good day!
Two F's
RooMonster
DarrinV
My printed version did not have the shaded squares, so after the revealer appeared and I finished the puzzle, I went back and discovered the THOU and THINE and so on, which was moderately amusing.
ReplyDeleteAgree with many on LABRATS and thinking Colbert. REPS as clued seemed sketchy, and BRODATES? Pretty clear what they were after but sounds contrived to me.
I'd add DELUGE to @Lewis's list of lovely words in this one.
Actually Liked this one quite a lot, AL. Congrats on the debut and thanks for all the fun.
On to the Croce and the NYorker Monday (the tough one).
Oh, I loved DELUGE also (and mentioned it in my post).
DeleteSure the theme was *technically* incorrect, but it was clever and I thought it was nice. If your a stickler, you might get upset that the theme was incorrect (or rather that I used the wrong form of “you’re”).
ReplyDeleteFinished it routinely. Never caught on to the theme because my system doesn't show shaded squares. Average Monday difficulty, I thought.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me, or does the clue for BRODATES feel like a dupe of HANGS (26-down)?
ReplyDeleteOn LAB MICE, there was a New Yorker cartoon long ago with a little cage in which a mouse has hung himself. And one scientist in a lab coat is saying to another: Bad news on the anti-depressant.
ReplyDeleteFound this to be relatively easy and kinda fun puzzle when done the old-fashioned way with downs and acrosses. Have to agree with @Rex that it lacks a strong Middle English feeling but that’s from the perspective of an old (olde) English lit major who has read Chaucer in the “original”. On the other hand, the placement of the words and sticking with the third person lend some tightness to the theme. And what’s not to like about TRUTHINESS?
ReplyDeleteIf only. If only the THEE, THY, THOU, THINE thing had been the only aspect of reading Chaucer's MIDDLE ENGLISH that had been challenging. And frankly I don't even remember it -- I remember those pronouns much more from the King James Bible.
ReplyDeleteA word about TRUTHINESS. I think Stephen Colbert coined it and credit must be given. It's such a great neologism. I sometimes want to coin other words of its type. Friendiness, for example. To define someone who is oh-so-pleasant-and-smiling when you run into them but who, as it turns out, has no interest whatsoever of having any kind of friendship with you.
This was a nicely-made, unMondayish grid with no junk. It could have gone later in the week with more challenging clues.
Sorry, BAE. I thought I DMED you that I got a a BRODATE tonight with MORTY. I guess this mode of speech must be Really Incredibly Late English (RILE to us Boomers). Or maybe it's Post Modern Speech (PMS). I just know that my kids are fluent in it. I always encouraged them to learn a second language.
ReplyDeleteThe French champion of feet-first sledding is the Roi DELUGE.
Gotta run (actually I'm going skiing), but before IHOP, I want to thank and congratulate Adam Levav.
Tomados de la mano afuera.
ReplyDeleteMy college professor for Chaucer only offered the class at 7:30 am. So I am aware I took the class, but not much about the book. I think there's farting in it. This is how public higher education prepared me for crosswording.
ACH: 25% of the cruciverbalists' German dictionary.
Lovely puzzle this morning, and yeah, Elizabethan is not middle English.
Propers: 2
Places: 1
Products: 6
Partials: 5
Foreignisms: 1
--
Gary's Grid Gunk Gauge: 15 of 76 (20%) (woo hoo!)
Funnyisms: 0 😫
Tee-Hee: Tit for what?
Uniclues:
1 Area under the ping pong table covered in blankets where lawmakers meet to admit they don't believe the stuff that comes out of their own mouths.
2 How the cannibal with a preference for aged meat filled out his menu.
3 Sells snake oil to snake oil salesmen.
4 Deceased horde waiting for scientists outside the pearly gates.
5 That which flows from kegs.
6 Finds the only solution to make the budget seem plausible.
1 TRUTHINESS FORT
2 ATE FOURTH YEARS
3 LEADS ON REPS
4 ASTRAL LAB MICE
5 BRODATES DELUGE
6 ERASES BAR GRAPH
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: One eating gummies. EASY MODE STONER. Dress like Bob Marley. EASY STONER MODE. Sit in the Archie Bunker chair and drool. STONER EASY MODE.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Questionin the Chaucer Middle English used in the puz, huh? M&A, bein a certified non-expert in Chaucer text, immediately went to the Harvard-provided text and translations of The Miller's Tale [I heard once in high school that it was the hottest read]...
ReplyDelete1. Text: That knowestow wel thyself, but if thou madde.
Translation: Thou knowest that well thyself, unless thou art mad.
Scores a THOU and sorta a THY, right there. Also an OW, as a bonus. har
2. Text: Wyte it the ale of Southwerk, I you preye.
Translation: Blame it on ale of Southwerk, I you pray.
Scores a YOU.
Conclusion: whatevs. But, hey -- the puztheme was different, even if controversial. M&A likes different.
staff weeject pick: THY. Certified 100% Chaucer-esque.
fave moo-cow easy-E MonPuz clue: {"Rumor has it ...} = IHEAR.
Thanx, Mr. Levav dude. And congratz to ye'all on thine own puz de but.
Masked & Anonymo4Us
... hang on to thy bonnets ...
"Meta-Facts 2025" - 7x7 themed runt puzzle:
**gruntz**
M&A
Now I get it…Oh come all ye faithful…
ReplyDeleteThis was a beautiful Monday puzzle, except for one thing. Lots of fresh vocabulary, with entries like ASTRAL, LYSOL, MICRODOT, BAR GRAPH, etc. And a grid design that allows for free movement, with lots of room for longer answers.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there is a slight problem with the theme. It is true that the words in the shaded squares are ENGLISH, and they are in the MIDDLE of longer entries. But I think we are expected to believe that they are words in MIDDLE ENGLISH, "the tongue of Chaucer," and they are not. They are Elizabethan English, the tongue of Shakespeare, and are still in use today. And if the intention is that they are just English, why are they all old-timey sounding? I think there's a big confusion here. Also, why are they all forms of the same word, the second-person singular pronoun? Ideally, this point should be acknowledged in the revealer.
But that's just the theme; the fill is very nice. I'll take it like that.
Jberg
DeleteAs M & A just quoted, these are Middle English words also. I really don’t see any problem.
Great comment, jberg.
DeleteI like the 'meta' aspect to the puzzle, having 'middle English' words in the middle of the phrases. (not that it affected the solve at all, as who has time for noticing it when racing to the finish line) But it's a nice flourish...
ReplyDeleteAs someone who did *not* do a PhD dissertation on Middle English—putting me firmly in the overwhelming majority of Americans and even of NYT Crossword solvers—I liked this puzzle and thought the theme was cute. Rex's pedantry strikes me as pretty tone-deaf and, frankly, elitist.
ReplyDeleteThree times this year (already) I have been unable to access the comments on the blog, all I get is the header and the comment area (without a workable publish button). Yesterday was the third time. Is anybody else having trouble? I use google chrome on my windows laptop.
ReplyDeleteTodays puz: I thought there was going to be one heck of a revealer someplace, I was looking forward to it, but I barely noticed it when it came. "Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke." Not a thy or thou to be seen.
Greater Fall River Committee for Peace & Understanding
DeleteThere was no need for2nd person singular in the Chaucer passage you quoted because the context required 3rd person plural.
Don’t get your point.
Can't agree with confusing "lab rats" with "lab mice". The latter are animals being used in experiments, and they have no choice about being lab animals; the former are typically students who choose to spend an excessive amount of time in the lab.
ReplyDeleteAfter I posted I was in dread that @Rex, who knows a lot more than I do about Middle English, would think there was no problem--so I was glad to find that he saw it the same way. Is it pedantic to point out the difference? That's ridiculous -- people point out errors in the answers all the time. That doesn't require not liking the puzzle, And, of course, if you put real ME words in there, you might have to use archaic letters, which would be tough to cross. And if you called it the language of Shakespeare, you would lose the point that they are in the middle of longer entries. So there are compromises involved, as there always are.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being HEP, Rex!
A Monday puzzle starring Geoffrey Chaucer, or at least his tongue - well, I thought it was a delightful idea. And so nicely executed with the MIDDLE ENGLISH words in the middle of the theme answers, spanning words when possible. I also liked the idea of an ASTRAL RARITY, also went wrong with LAB rats, agree about the needed Colbert citation, and on BRO-fatigue.
ReplyDeleteOK. Have been readin thru some more Chaucer stuff.
ReplyDeleteHave now scored a THEE, but yet to find a THINE.
Have also spotted several YE’s, and also YOURE, YEE, and YOW forms of your, you, and you. Even saw one YOW ALLE.
That there Chaucer dude was all over the day-um U map.
M&A Research Dept.
Ahar! Finally scored a THINE , albeit originally spelled as THYN...
ReplyDeleteFrom The Tale of Melibee:
Text: for in this wise thy freend wole abyde and thyn enemy shal the lenger lyve in drede.
Translation: for in this manner thy friend will abide and thine enemy shall the longer live in dread.
sheeesh. Otto-correct nearly lost its mind, on that last hunk of Chaucer text.
M&Also
@Egs..Thanks as ever for he chuckles. (esp PMS)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lewis' list of delightful words from the puzzle.
Getting better and better at solving downs-only. (Or else the puzzle is continuing to get easier, and quickly.) In any case, the added challenge is fun and rewarding. Thanks for the suggestion, RP.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rex - a challenging Monday (for a change) but a welcome one & I enjoyed it. Things are looking up (thanks, Will). And thank YOU, Adam & congrats on your debut :)
ReplyDeleteI work in real-time environments where information changes quickly and is often unreliable. With tongues in cheeks, we often deputize each other to find out the TRUTHINESS of a rumor or document. Great great word.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI typically print out the puzzle except for Mondays, when I solve it in my head. But I woke up today thinking it was Tuesday, and I'm thinking, "Wow! Methinks this is too easy!"
ReplyDeleteJust deleted my earlier comment because I botched the html code for "bold" leaving nearly half of the comment in all bold letters.
ReplyDeleteThe gist of that comment was that 24A FOURTH YEARS seems to be grammatically inconsistent with its clue "High school and college students, usually". To my ear the answer should be the S-less version, FOURTH YEAR. In fact, I'm trying to imagine a naturally sounding, in the everyday language example using FOURTH YEARS. Every possible example I can think of would call for the S-less version.
Now let's see if I got that html code right this time!
Interesting discussion about the theme
ReplyDeleteI agree with those who had no problem with it.
As Rex’s quote from a description of Middle English shows, there was absolutely no spelling standards. For a long time after the conquest, Royals and high nobility spoke French, while most study was in Latin. English was mostly an oral language. Chaucer’s era was the time English was becoming a written language again Thou, thee, thy & thine were most definitely part of Middle English, though as M & A discovered, with spelling varying greatly, often within the same text.
In any event, the 2nd person singular existed throughout the period of Middle English
On the other hand, it was during Early Modern English period when thou et al began to disappear. The Quakers in the first half of the 1600’s attempted to revive their usage, for religious and political reasons and failed. Writing is slower to change than oral. So use of thou was already losing ground at the time of the King James Version. (Language doesn’t change all at once).
So. there is nothing wrong with the theme. I thought it was very clever
FWIW I do not do downs only ever. I found this one of the easiest I ever did in the Times. Obviously, it helped that I got Middle English immediately. The first five acrosses were absolute gimmes. Drat took only the D.
I agree with OFL and other true scholars here that the more “biblical” (for want of a better metaphor) pronouns did not align with my several fabulous classes on Chaucer and other MIDDLE ENGLISH literary notables. I was left with a “hmm” feeling. A bit more challenging than the average Monday but nothing that gave me real trouble.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy reference to ‘ye olde’ MICRODOT because it reminded me of two favorite shows of my youth: “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” and the truly weird but addictive (to me) short-lived “Prisoner” with Patrick McGoohan. In both (and so many other ‘60s spy films and television series) a MICRODOT was frequently the thin edge of the wedge for the “good guys.”
I have a question for all of you truly familiar with current “informal” terms. Is BAE really common usage? I frequently hear kids shortening words like “obvi” for obvious but honestly I have never heard BAE. Nor have I heard my 12 year old granddaughter (who emulates her oh so loving and very “with it” young adult sibs speech, dress etc) say BAE. I have never heard either her sister who is in a long term relationship with a wonderful fellow or said fellow use the term. So is it really used often or is it just another one of those words added to the crossword realm to annoy me? Just curios.
As for the puzzle, I enjoyed being thoroughly tuned in to our constructor today, gives me continuing hope that my brain functions! Another Monday finished. I hope you all have a fulfilling week.
Lab rats is a cliche. Lab mice is fresh.
ReplyDeleteI took the revealer clue partly to mean that one’s actual “tongue is literally shown” when one pronounces thine, thy, thee, and thou. Very clever. And pretty sure Chaucer uses those words too…
ReplyDelete