THEME: SAW A WOMAN IN HALF (58A: Perform a classic magic trick that's depicted figuratively in this grid?) — shaded squares contain slang names for "woman," divided in half (by a black square)
Theme answers:
ARTEMIS / SUSANNA (17A: Greek goddess whose namesake NASA mission plans to land the first female astronaut on the moon / 18A: Folk song figure who is implored not to cry)
ELPHABA / BEYONCÉ (32A: The Wicked Witch of the West, in "Wicked" / 35A: Grammy's Album of the Year winner for 2024's "Cowboy Carter")
MATILDA / MELANIE (52A: Kid-lit character with telekinetic abilities / 54A: "Brand New Key" singer, 1971)
Word of the Day: MELANIE (54A: "Brand New Key" singer, 1971) —
Melanie Anne Safka Schekeryk (February 3, 1947 – January 23, 2024), professionally known as Melanie or Melanie Safka, was an American singer-songwriter.
I assume this puzzle is supposed to be a nod to Women's History Month (i.e. this month, March). It's full of women, in the grid and in the clues, while being almost totally man-free—though not completely so: Gabriel Garcia Márquez manages to sneak his way in there in the clue for CHOLERA (15A: Gabriel Garcia Márquez's "Love in the Time of ___"). Oh, and I guess the "child" in "Mary and child" is also a dude, technically (8D: Part of the Hagia Sophia with a celebrated mosaic of Mary and child = APSE). And it's NBA JAM, not WNBA JAM—do they have that? they should have that ... looks like there are (or were) plans to add WNBA teams to NBA JAM '25. Not sure if that's still happening (30D: Classic arcade game in which characters can dunk at humanly impossible heights). Anyway, you get the picture: genderwise, today, the balance is decidedly distaff. The puzzle's made by women, it's full of women, cool cool. Conceptually, though, I found the puzzle a little confusing. I mean, at the most basic level, it's simple—those are names for "woman" and they are all, in fact, cut in two (by black squares). But those gray squares containing the names of sawn women are also found inside names of unsawn women. I would normally say that this gives the theme an extra level, an added tightness, but ... are you sawing or are you not sawing. There are two whole-ass women on either side of the saw, is what I'm saying, so the impression is at least as much "two women on either side of the aisle from each other" as it is "woman sawed in half." [update: apparently the trick is done using two whole women and that’s why there are uncut women on either side of the “blade”here—OK!] An other weird wrinkle: all the terms for "woman" in the shaded squares seem like condescending and (depending on context) at least vaguely sexist terms you'd hear from a man. Not SLURS, exactly, but ... yeah, I can definitely hear dudes saying all these things in a diminishing or objectifying way. Maybe the sawing of those terms in half is some kind of symbolic "f you" gesture, I dunno. This puzzle's got ambition and originality, I'm just not entirely sure about the rationale behind the specific execution of the theme. You're sawing general terms for "woman," but you're not sawing specific "women," merely showcasing them ... for some reason? OK. Whatever. I've got "Brand New Key" in my head, so whatever's going on, I'm pretty happy.
At first I thought that the grid wasn't really giving a very good visual of the magic trick in questions, but on closer inspection, I think that vertical line of black squares up top is a pretty good visual representation of that rectangular blade thingie that the magician sometimes drives between the two halves of the woman, either after sawing or in lieu of sawing? (sorry, not up on my magic trick equipment jargon). You don't get an actual toothed saw (how would you even render that in grid form?), but those black squares definitely seem like ... something about to be driven downward through the "women." Something like this Williams Sonoma pastry dough scraper:
Yes, the human pastry dough scraper, that's it. As for the rest of the puzzle, seemed like a mixed bag. Weirdly Italian, which was 2/3 fine (ITALY, SOTTO), and 1/3 "????" That first "A" in SALATA would've been an educated guess had the shaded word "BABE" not been there to make it crystal clear. Yeah, I probably should've remembered ELPHABA's name, but I absolutely did not. I know Wicked only as the movie, which is only "Part 1" and which I saw only once (enjoyable!). So for many her name will be a huge gimme, but not for me. ELPHABA SALATA sounds like a fancy dish though also possibly a scary dish because it maybe contains elephant? Also had trouble in that specific area because the puzzle decided to choose that exact spot to do that "identical clue" gimmick thingie that I hate because one of the two identical clues usually seems forced/off, and while [Uncomplicated] worked well for EASY, it wasn't so clear where CLEAR was concerned. I had CLEAN in there at one point. Throw in the fact that I had no idea what followed NO at 24D: Never ever ever (NO HOW) (NO WAY?), and the fact that I had SNEER before SCOWL (43A: Show visible disdain), and ... yeah, I've just described the entire area of difficulty in this puzzle, for me. All the ink on my print-out runs from from the west to the center, through all the answers mentioned. The rest of the grid was pretty EASY and carefree.
Bullets:
1A: Exclamation before the 10th inning ("IT'S A TIE!") — I've watched a lot of baseball in my time. No one exclaims this.
45A: Crazy, sexy or cool: Abbr. (ADJ.) — I see what you did there:
2D: Kinsey scale rating for someone equally attracted to men and women (THREE) — are younger people (under, uh, 50?) still familiar with the Kinsey scale? 0 for exclusively heterosexual, 6 for exclusively homosexual, and then a sliding scale in between. A Kinsey 3 is the perfect bi. I feel like modern categories of sexuality are a little (lot) less, uh, schematic. Or mathematical or whatever. Anyway, respect to this clue for being completely out of the past and out of left field and original and fun.
5D: Paint sometimes made with egg yolk (TEMPERA) — still have trouble spelling this. Get it confused with TEMPURA, both of which (it seems) are made with egg.
44D: TV series whose name is shown on a vanity license plate in its opening sequence (L.A. LAW) — for a brief period of time in college, this show was appointment television. Then it was The Simpsons and Twin Peaks.
50D: Freebie at most American diners (REFILL) — coffee? soda? what are we talking about here?
37D: Parodia and peyote, for two (CACTI) — "Parodia" is a new one on me. There are scores of species. They are frequently globular, and are native to the eastern slopes of the Andes and assorted other parts of South America:
Easy. No WOEs, two Overwrites: SUzANNA before SUSANNA at 18A sap before TAR for the sticky stuff at 56A (corrected before I encountered the real SAP at 58D)
Not sure whether this was a tribute or not - but it was as flat a Wednesday as I can remember. Oddball theme that felt like an afterthought - I did like ARTEMIS and MELANIE.
Overall fill was disjoint - the grid layout results in a load of mid length entries - some work some don’t. I liked SOTTO, PROST and SNARK. Trended stale with CD ROMS, LA LAW and NBA JAM.
Needed to cheat to get ELPHABA, because I've never heard of PROST as a drinking command. The NBAJAM/ADJ cross was a trial-and-error exercise, because I had no clue what ADJ stood for. The revealer is slightly misleading, because it suggests one woman's identity, not the names of two separate women.
Rex, I don't want to give anything away, but... think about what's actually happening when a magician "saws a woman in half." Then the full names in the grid may make more sense to you!
Stumbled badly today with the popular culture - just tough to parse together stuff like ELPHABA if you’ve never seen it even once in your life. The clue for IT’S A TIE is utter nonsense. I have no idea what ADJ stands for. So, pretty much a typical NYT grid - some stuff that sparkles but you have to watch your step as you wander around the grid.
Rex’s write-up made me appreciate the theme more than I did while solving, because I really disliked the sawn-in-half terms for a woman. But I guess there’s nuance here that makes it a pretty clever theme. Had sneer, then scoff, before SCOWL, did not remember ELPHABA, and ORS as clued - good grief! Does anyone who’s not an academic mathematician know this?
That's a mighty weak 1A. I can imagine someone saying ITS A TIE in response to a question, but not exclaiming it. Often that's a warning sign of things to come, but today it turned out to be an aberration in an otherwise pleasant solve.
Knew ELPHABA but I can see some of those crosses being tricky if you didn't.
Pretty cool puzzle, enjoyed the revealer immensely. You go, girls! If I'm being petty, the lower part of the puzzle suffered a bit in order to fit the revealer, but a minor nit. Fun solve MELANIE was an early crush for me. Like many performers, she was huge for 3-4 years, then disappeared
Hmmm, if the idea hit me to make a crossword out of sawing a woman in half, I’d probably dismiss it and move on, as taking a woman’s name and “sawing” it with a black square would seem too simplistic.
So, I greatly appreciate what Chandi and Kate did here, basically asking, “How can we keep this theme but make it worthy?” Maybe motivated by the fact that SAW A WOMAN IN HALF is 15 letters long, and has never appeared in any crossword in any of the major outlets.
Here, they didn’t just saw MISSUS, BABE, and DAME in half, but these women were drawn from other women. In three instances, not only did they saw a woman in half, but at the same time, they also sawed a pair of women in half.
Wow! Double brava, Kate and Chandi, for making that leap, and creating such a well-crafted result.
I liked the serendipitous theme echo, starting with the IN of NOT IN, where INA was sawed. I also liked seeing the rare-in-crosswords five-letter semordnilap SPOOL. In addition, I enjoyed seeing a puzzle based on the magician’s art – basically creating riddles – which is just what crosswords do.
Thank you, Chandi and Kate, for conjuring a splendid outing!
Had the terms for women sawed in half and that gave away the revealer. Unfortunately I neglected to check out the names on either side of the terms and so missed the redeeming aspect of this one. Oh well.
Major snag when I wanted DOME for APSE. Didn't help that I didn't know PASSKEY. Also the DIE/DER kealoa was a holdup. No real problems after that. Didn't know ELPHABA as clued but I know several women named ELPHABA so that was easy, Ha ha, just kidding.
There are lots of times when we have a choice between ORS and ERS. Today we get both, so equal time there.
Interesting Wednesday, CD and KH. Cutting Damsels in half is Kinda Hard on them, I realize, but this was neatly done. Thanks for all the fun.
I had a little bit of trouble in the center part of the puzzle as Rex described. Overall it was an entertaining puzzle. I thought the use of the words “babe” and “dame” was intentional. If you’re not a magician, how to you attempt to cut a woman down? You use demeaning words.
Hey All ! A puz for women, about women, and by women. The trifecta hits. (Well, the puz is also for men...)
Anyway, neat idea and concept for a Theme. Slicing WOMAN nicknames in half, while being in answers that are women's names.
Trouble area around and spelling of ELPHABA. Is it LEONE or LEONA? TEMPERA, or TEMPERO? SALATA or SELATA, or a myriad of other letters in all the unknown spots? Finally had to Goog for the good ole (bad ole?) Wicked Witch of the West.
Fun puz, thanks ladies
Happy Wednesday!
PS - SB says today's is # 2500. There is even an S! Holy Moly. And F as Central letter. Quite unusual with that S. Is this first time?
Cute puzzle but that whole section with ELPHABA, PROST, TEMPERA and PROST was a WOE. Rare Wednesday DNF. Happy Detransition Awareness Day to those who celebrate.
I was tripped up with ELPHABA as not only had I not hear it, but also impossible to parse out even with 6 of the 7 letters. I know the 'sound' PROST, but don't think I ever saw it in writing and only heard it yelled loudy in a noisy establishment while tipsy. Could have been bROST tROST gROST or any other similar sounding toasting.
And while I'm at it, despite being a native Italian speaker... SALATA tripped me up as it doesn't have anything to do with sprinkling seasoning. It simply means salty. And if you want to argue that salt is 'seasoning' (which in Italy, it is not), as a verb (She/He salted), it would always be the masculine form "ha SALATO". In the feminine, it's simply the adjective 'salty' as in "aqua SALATA"
I didn't appreciate the complexity of what was done with the theme until reading some of these posts, but what a great job they did! I will also have to say that you must be TRYING to find sexism if your first inclination is to make dame, missus, and babe derogatory. I find them to be in order a title of respect, a title when a name is unknown, and an affectionate name for a love.
You can't blame the robot, he'd rather look at the ladies than mince them.
Talk about commitment to a wackadoodle theme. I loved it. I guess if you're gonna do something weird in a grid, then you commit. Funny puzzle and plenty of fun to do, but holy moly, the whole thing felt like an out of control party and somehow I was dancing with somebody in a clown costume.
You could actually exclaim IT'S A TIE at any point in any game if the score is even, but I don't think I have ever heard it in baseball.
I'm staring at that clue for THREE feeling wine must have been involved.
Added DER to our German dictionary, but honestly it seems like a cheap entry when SNARK could've been SNACK and then we'd have had DEC, an abbreviation for December, an ordinary English word, and staved off threatening double digits in German vocabulary.
Tee-Hee: They called 'em DAMES and BABES. Is that why they voted the way they did? So we can go back to doing this?
Uniclues:
1 Two of the same thing and a hyphen. 2 Anti-vaxxers. 3 Schweddy Balls.
1 IT'S A TIE ASPECTS 2 CHOLERA PLATOON 3 NOEL ORBS (~)
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: computers you fight / you can't type your password right / i mock you you blight TECH SAVVY HAIKU.
Mister X and his wife go to a party and walk up to a group. He says, “Have you met the MISSUS? Yeah, she’s a real BABE, but was just some DAME before I met her.” These are terms men have used when referring to women…so perhaps the “meta” here is that those terms need to be cut out?
Count me with hand up for cheating to finish the puzzle with ELPHABA and STILL being stymied as I put in the O for PROST. I have NOHOW seen or heard this word while toasting. Maybe I’ll try it at next celebratory event…
This was a clever concept somewhat tarnished by names and trivia. After gradually working my way through most of it, I had blank white space in the center west block. Why? Because ELPHABA for starters. Followed closely by PYRO. What on earth is that? Then I had no idea on the kid lit character or the Surrey town or the Boolean operator or the country with the female Prime Minister or the TV series or the Italian word (or for that matter, the “classic” arcade game). And smack in the middle of all that, a clue “drink up” which assumes I know the answer is actually in German. Did I mention the names and trivia were frustrating for me?
So, after finishing, I looked at the women who had gone under the SAW and had some thoughts about that. First of all, the effort to showcase women is laudable. That said, I would have preferred more respectful terms of address such as Miss/Mizz, Lady, Ma’am or even something as simple as Mother, Sister, Aunt. And while I suppose MISSUS is fairly innocuous, BABE and DAME just scream not only slang but - derogatory slang. I know, I know, it’s just a crossword. But really ladies, if we don’t emphatically eschew such boorish terms, then why would anyone else feel a need to?
Interesting approach, contrasting the names of four woman of notable power and attraction with three male kinda paternalistic references to women taken from parts of the full names and halved. A cutting comment? Quite a feat of construction and social commentary. Or maybe all just in good fun…
Appreciated the theme concept and construction - a puzzle by women, about women is a much needed enterprise at the NYTXW. But, like @Rex, I was a bit put off by the references to women that were cut in half, unless "DAME was meant to reference the kind of dame as is Dame Judi Dench, I'm a little uneasy with the term. AND - in my house, if I referred to my wife as "BABE" (or a dame, for that matter) I'd be finding another place to sleep for the night. MISSUS not as egregious but I grew up in a house where my Mom was "Ms." and she would make a point of it. So kinda rubs me the wrong way as well. Now that I'm writing this - I'm thinking that maybe cutting these terms in half was the whole point of the puzzle...hmmm... OK, maybe... While the solve was pleasant enough, nothing really popped for me today so the fun factor was not as high as I've experienced in other Wednesdays. Nothing at all to complain about, just fell a little flat. But a 15 letter revealer is always impressive - nice work there!
I think what I like best about my on again/off again searches for Hidden Diagonal Words (HDW) is coming up with clues for them. Here's a clue for a 4 letter HDW in today's grid:
Beef or GOAT? (answer below)
I struggled in the early going with this puzzle and thought it was playing hard for a Wednesday. I started at the top and moved down the West side and had almost no answers. Then I got to the revealer clue and wrote it in without a single cross. All the answers below it were super easy, and the puzzle itself worked out easily from the bottom up. The theme definitely helped me with a few answers.
Speaking of answers, here the answer to the HDW clue:
Beef or GOAT? KOBE (off the K in 10D, PASSKEY)
Can't decide if that clue/answer works, but I like it.
ITSATIE is about as likely to be exclaimed at the end of the ninth inning as NICEshot is after a PUTT. Either could happen, but neither does.
This certainly was a paean of sorts to feminism. Why, I I SAWAWOMANINHALF the answers or more! Some of it could be considered demeaning, of course, like including a female type who hangs around the gym looking for a guy with a perfect set of stomach muscles as an ABHOR. I probably deserve some criticism for that last joke, so go ahead, PYLON.
Landing a woman on the moon is now a DEI no-no, so they're sending a load of unfathomable (to Trump) modern paintings instead and relabeling the mission as ARTyMeSS.
The constructor's missed a chance to clue LEONE as a woman. Anyone Remember Mama LEONE's in Times Square? There used to be a billlboard by the entrance to the Midtown Tunnel that said something like "If you'd eaten at Mama LEONE's you wouldn't be able to fit in this tunnel." I did a quick Google search and can't find any reference to that billboard, so perhaps I fantasized it. Anyone else remember it?
Nice theme idea, and a bit of crunch for a Wednesday. Thanks, Chandi Deitmer and Kate Hawkins.
Amen to cutting out those terms. Another suggestion from @Diane Joan at 8:17 was that these terms may be used to cut down women. Both interesting interpretations.
I didn't notice the women surrounding the sawed-in-half women either. That does make it a more impressive piece of construction I have to admit -- but the theme still failed to give me anything to do or have to figure out.
Yes, anyone who has taken a logic class for philosophy or any programming classes would also know this. I'd rate it no more obscure than whatever PROST is.
Your question re: ORS reminds me of an old math joke.
Three mathematicians walk into a bar. The bartender asks, "Would any of you like a beer?" The first mathematician replies, "I'm not sure." The second chimes in, "I don't know, either." At which point the third mathematician says, "No, "
In the same spirit, my answer to your question as to whether anyone who's not an academic mathematician knows this is, "I don't know."
Thank you to the commenters who helped me appreciate the nuance of MISSUS, BABE, and DAME being the "woman" words that get cut, with a special nod to @Easy Ed 10:01. Of the named women themselves, I have personally asked SUSANNA not to cry, but otherwise know them only from reading about them (BEYONCE, ELPHABA, MATILDA) or not at all (MELANIE). Fun to admire the grid after solving, with the all-female cast and shadow of the circular saw.
Do-overs: Me, too, for Sneer; sAp before TAR. Humbled by: not understanding ADJ, grammar nerd that I consider myself to be.
Thanks for the graphic of It Ain't Me Babe, the first comic book written and drawn entirely by women. Its co-publisher was Trina Robbins, a pioneer in comics and a friend of mine since the 1980s. She was a feminist cartoonist who also edited and drew for such classic underground comics as "All Girl Thrills" and "Wimmen's Comix." In the 1980s she became the first woman to draw Wonder Woman. Her bio, Last Girl Standing, is a great read with the intelligence, humor and generosity that reflect her personality. She's honored in various cartoon halls of fame and such, both for her pioneering comics and the books she wrote on cartoon history especially regarding women in the comics. She died last year of a sudden stroke not long after completing the anthology of pro-choice comics, Won't Back Down.
Totally agree on 1A definition. Baseball games do not end in ties, and nobody says that after 9 innings. Maybe at the end of a dead heat, or a close vote, but not in baseball. Doesn't even sound right in soccer.
Cool Ladies Day at the NYTPuz. Interestinly, M&A knew the three right-hand [unsawed] gals, but the three left-hand darlins were no-knows. I reckon a fourth theme pair coulda been DEITMER/HAWKINS, cuz the sawed-up MERHAWK is at least a mermaid/bird hybrid, or somesuch...
staff weeject picks: MIS & SUS.
some faves: NBAJAM [cousin of NHLJELLY]. ACTUARY. PLATOON. PASSKEY. ABHOR clue clue clue.
Thanx for gangin up on us, Ms. Deitmer & Hawkins darlins. Magical stuff. Thanx for cuttin us in on it.
Masked & Anonymo2Us
... and afta that semi-feisty puz, comes this little biter ...
Thanks again EGs for the laughs Your second paragraph had me chuckling all the way through. Couldn't believe the number of commenters who didn't get ADJ. I thought that was a very clever clue. Took me quite a while to get the answer, but when I did Wow.
I thought this puzzle was really creative, actually. And I don't know if this was part of the constructors' idea but the top of the grid with the cross shape pointing down reminded me of the symbol for Venus that's associated with femininity. If that was intentional, it elevates this puzzle way up for me!
my first reaction upon finishing this puzzle was “yuck women sawn in half! that’s disgusting. How did the editors let that happen?” But noting that the constructors were women and your further clarification of the semi derogatory terms embedded in the names of other women… Has changed my opinion. Well, done
I was surprised that the constructors were women. I found the names of women in this theme offensive - DAME & MISSUS definitely, maybe not so much for BABE if it's a reference used mutually by a spouse, bf, loved one, etc. Or maybe I'm just over-analyzing.
"Free baseball!" is what we say in our house too. BTW, I can understand why the league made the change, but I don't like the new rule of putting the guy who made the last out on second base to start the next inning. Seems like rewarding failure.
Slightly weird but novel theme. Lately I seem to always be complaining "too many names" but since the six long ones are a necessary part of the theme, it seemed okay. ELPHABA was a total unknown. Hands up for TEMPURA at first but a known name (LEONE) came to the rescue.
I finished with a bizarre mistake: I read the clue for 71 across as "Yarn spinner's stool" and obediently typed in STOOL for the answer. Why the... huh? Brain?... are you there, brain?
I really chuckled when I got to MELANIE and “The Key.” A week ago (or so) I commented about roller skating ‘60s style on my steel skates that clamped onto my saddle shoes via my skate key. After that solve my ear worm was 🎶 “I have a brand new pair of roller skates, You have a brand new key . . . “ 🎶 and here it is again. To me that song is Melanie’s most famous, but it may just be me and my love of zooming through the neighborhood. Mom hated it because it damaged my school shoes. But in my day you could easily know who skated because they had dirty, worn “clamp damage” on their school shoes!
So, the puzzle was sort of uneven. And I wanted to cut A WOMAN IN HALF for exactly the reason OFL cites: never observed a SAW in this trick, only a sort of guiatine-esque or a cleaver type thing employed for the trick. Left it there for only a bit; the AWL and AWOL was a quick fix.
I enjoyed the women’s slant today but honestly thought it was a bit uneven caused mostly by the grid and its huge number of three letter answers. The theme though was well executed. I noted the women’s names and the theme “sawn in half” parts of those names working together. Sometimes a grid shape is determined by making the theme work. And this one did, including the black “chopping devices(?)” used to SAW A WOMAN IN HALF. Congratulations ladies.
"Dame" is still an honorific in England; "Missus" is simply a literal transcription of the abbreviation "Mrs."; "Babe" may or may not be a slur, depending on when, how, and by whom it's said. (It's also a gender-neutral term of affection for a lover or a close friend, especially in the South.)
Tell that to all the dignified British ladies whose honorific is "Dame," and tell it to feminist folksinger Ani DiFranco who proudly records on her own Righteous Babe label.
SB is 2500! I had no idea it's been around that long. The S is shocking; I hope it's not permanent. Maybe they could include it for every 500th puzzle.
JJK I avoided math after high school But in the early days of computer search I did read about using Boolean logic in searches, referencing ors & ands. Also this has appeared in the Times puzzle more than once. But I have very little knowledge of the math behind it all. So I’m far from a math prof but found it easy crosswordese.
Sumptown Steve I am only commenting because you criticized Shortz Adj. is hardly a natick. You simply missed the trick which happens. Three ADJectives , with related meanings, in a clue asking for an abbreviation. The related meanings of course are the misdirection or trick. Very common crossword clue everywhere.
Anonymous 8:02 AM and others. I was a bit surprised by the choice of words to saw in half and expected much objection from Rex. He noted who constructed the puzzle which I had not looked at. So we have a question of why the choice. I would guess they were making fun of the terms or having fun with the old terms. ( interesting how the old meaning of dame, still currently used in England ended in a a quite different meaning in WW Ii slang. Cue South Pacific)
Anonymous 11:15 AM Question of definition of the term folk song I have seen innumerable references to folk song written by someone from the post war folk revival, never mind the 19th century Foster. Not a fact check error at all. Your definition of folk song doesn’t is too restrictive v
Carols As a Boomer for me Melanie was almost a gimme. But Rex’s obituary excerpt caught me up short because I missed the fact she had died. As someone said, she had a series of hit songs in the early’70’s and then receded from public view. Reminds me that I am old.
Stu B In the US Pyro has become a word so no need to cue abbreviation. Nohow was as noted by Lewis used almost 90 years ago in the Wizard of Oz! So both are fair in an American puzzle.
Thanks for the "just kidding" pablo. I thought Elphaba was made up, then you had me with women (plural!!). My sister said it is from L Frank Baum, the author L Fa Ba, should be ElfRaba tho
A long time ago, I was solving this puzzle and got stuck at an unguessable (to me) crossing: N. C. WYETH crossing NATICK at the "N"—I knew WYETH but forgot his initials, and NATICK ... is a suburb of Boston that I had no hope of knowing. It was clued as someplace the Boston Marathon runs through (???). Anyway, NATICK— the more obscure name in that crossing—became shorthand for an unguessable cross, esp. where the cross involves two proper nouns, neither of which is exceedingly well known. NATICK took hold as crossword slang, and the term can now be both noun ("I had a NATICK in the SW corner...") or verb ("I got NATICKED by 50A / 34D!")
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99 comments:
Easy. No WOEs, two Overwrites:
SUzANNA before SUSANNA at 18A
sap before TAR for the sticky stuff at 56A (corrected before I encountered the real SAP at 58D)
Not sure whether this was a tribute or not - but it was as flat a Wednesday as I can remember. Oddball theme that felt like an afterthought - I did like ARTEMIS and MELANIE.
REM
Overall fill was disjoint - the grid layout results in a load of mid length entries - some work some don’t. I liked SOTTO, PROST and SNARK. Trended stale with CD ROMS, LA LAW and NBA JAM.
It was over quick - so there’s that.
REMs favorite band
The fact that there are two whole women on each side of the cut is a magic spoiler, but is thematically perfect.
While the three colloquial women are SAWED, the six other women are SEEN. Both past tenses of saw.
Needed to cheat to get ELPHABA, because I've never heard of PROST as a drinking command. The NBAJAM/ADJ cross was a trial-and-error exercise, because I had no clue what ADJ stood for.
The revealer is slightly misleading, because it suggests one woman's identity, not the names of two separate women.
Rex, I don't want to give anything away, but... think about what's actually happening when a magician "saws a woman in half." Then the full names in the grid may make more sense to you!
BABE? seriously? go back to the 1960s for that one
Thanks for noting that no one says “it’s a tie’ going into the 10th inning. I filled that out under protest!
Stumbled badly today with the popular culture - just tough to parse together stuff like ELPHABA if you’ve never seen it even once in your life. The clue for IT’S A TIE is utter nonsense. I have no idea what ADJ stands for. So, pretty much a typical NYT grid - some stuff that sparkles but you have to watch your step as you wander around the grid.
awful on many levels
Rex’s write-up made me appreciate the theme more than I did while solving, because I really disliked the sawn-in-half terms for a woman. But I guess there’s nuance here that makes it a pretty clever theme. Had sneer, then scoff, before SCOWL, did not remember ELPHABA, and ORS as clued - good grief! Does anyone who’s not an academic mathematician know this?
For me it was SUSANNe before SUSANNA and goo, gum before TAR.
That's a mighty weak 1A. I can imagine someone saying ITS A TIE in response to a question, but not exclaiming it. Often that's a warning sign of things to come, but today it turned out to be an aberration in an otherwise pleasant solve.
Knew ELPHABA but I can see some of those crosses being tricky if you didn't.
Great Wednesday puzzle with a little push back here and there. Really nice challenge at times.
What is ADJ?
Pretty cool puzzle, enjoyed the revealer immensely. You go, girls!
If I'm being petty, the lower part of the puzzle suffered a bit in order to fit the revealer, but a minor nit. Fun solve
MELANIE was an early crush for me. Like many performers, she was huge for 3-4 years, then disappeared
Hmmm, if the idea hit me to make a crossword out of sawing a woman in half, I’d probably dismiss it and move on, as taking a woman’s name and “sawing” it with a black square would seem too simplistic.
So, I greatly appreciate what Chandi and Kate did here, basically asking, “How can we keep this theme but make it worthy?” Maybe motivated by the fact that SAW A WOMAN IN HALF is 15 letters long, and has never appeared in any crossword in any of the major outlets.
Here, they didn’t just saw MISSUS, BABE, and DAME in half, but these women were drawn from other women. In three instances, not only did they saw a woman in half, but at the same time, they also sawed a pair of women in half.
Wow! Double brava, Kate and Chandi, for making that leap, and creating such a well-crafted result.
I liked the serendipitous theme echo, starting with the IN of NOT IN, where INA was sawed. I also liked seeing the rare-in-crosswords five-letter semordnilap SPOOL. In addition, I enjoyed seeing a puzzle based on the magician’s art – basically creating riddles – which is just what crosswords do.
Thank you, Chandi and Kate, for conjuring a splendid outing!
I was just disappointed “free baseball!” didn’t fit for 1A as it’s the only thing I’ve heard exclaimed before the 10th inning.
If a person wants to honor women, maybe don’t use retrograde terms like missus, babe and dame.
Had the terms for women sawed in half and that gave away the revealer. Unfortunately I neglected to check out the names on either side of the terms and so missed the redeeming aspect of this one. Oh well.
Major snag when I wanted DOME for APSE. Didn't help that I didn't know PASSKEY. Also the DIE/DER kealoa was a holdup. No real problems after that. Didn't know ELPHABA as clued but I know several women named ELPHABA so that was easy, Ha ha, just kidding.
There are lots of times when we have a choice between ORS and ERS. Today we get both, so equal time there.
Interesting Wednesday, CD and KH. Cutting Damsels in half is Kinda Hard on them, I realize, but this was neatly done. Thanks for all the fun.
Adjective! and watch Wicked, it's so fun!!
I had a little bit of trouble in the center part of the puzzle as Rex described. Overall it was an entertaining puzzle. I thought the use of the words “babe” and “dame” was intentional. If you’re not a magician, how to you attempt to cut a woman down? You use demeaning words.
Natick on the a in ELPHABa/SaLATA which I came here to see (I do it in ink so ELPHABY looked good enough to me).
Hey All !
A puz for women, about women, and by women. The trifecta hits. (Well, the puz is also for men...)
Anyway, neat idea and concept for a Theme. Slicing WOMAN nicknames in half, while being in answers that are women's names.
Trouble area around and spelling of ELPHABA. Is it LEONE or LEONA? TEMPERA, or TEMPERO? SALATA or SELATA, or a myriad of other letters in all the unknown spots? Finally had to Goog for the good ole (bad ole?) Wicked Witch of the West.
Fun puz, thanks ladies
Happy Wednesday!
PS - SB says today's is # 2500. There is even an S! Holy Moly. And F as Central letter. Quite unusual with that S. Is this first time?
Two F's
RooMonster
DarrinV
Adjective
They are all ADJectives
Cute puzzle but that whole section with ELPHABA, PROST, TEMPERA and PROST was a WOE. Rare Wednesday DNF. Happy Detransition Awareness Day to those who celebrate.
Adjective.
I was tripped up with ELPHABA as not only had I not hear it, but also impossible to parse out even with 6 of the 7 letters.
I know the 'sound' PROST, but don't think I ever saw it in writing and only heard it yelled loudy in a noisy establishment while tipsy. Could have been bROST tROST gROST or any other similar sounding toasting.
And while I'm at it, despite being a native Italian speaker... SALATA tripped me up as it doesn't have anything to do with sprinkling seasoning. It simply means salty. And if you want to argue that salt is 'seasoning' (which in Italy, it is not), as a verb (She/He salted), it would always be the masculine form "ha SALATO". In the feminine, it's simply the adjective 'salty' as in "aqua SALATA"
tldr: the clue for SALATA is wrong.
I’m still wondering the same thing.
adjective
I didn't appreciate the complexity of what was done with the theme until reading some of these posts, but what a great job they did! I will also have to say that you must be TRYING to find sexism if your first inclination is to make dame, missus, and babe derogatory. I find them to be in order a title of respect, a title when a name is unknown, and an affectionate name for a love.
Adjective
That’s an interesting take, and a good point - one I did not consider.
First attempt:
Vio a una mujer por la mitad.
Take two:
Cortar a una mujer por la mitad.
You can't blame the robot, he'd rather look at the ladies than mince them.
Talk about commitment to a wackadoodle theme. I loved it. I guess if you're gonna do something weird in a grid, then you commit. Funny puzzle and plenty of fun to do, but holy moly, the whole thing felt like an out of control party and somehow I was dancing with somebody in a clown costume.
You could actually exclaim IT'S A TIE at any point in any game if the score is even, but I don't think I have ever heard it in baseball.
I'm staring at that clue for THREE feeling wine must have been involved.
Added DER to our German dictionary, but honestly it seems like a cheap entry when SNARK could've been SNACK and then we'd have had DEC, an abbreviation for December, an ordinary English word, and staved off threatening double digits in German vocabulary.
Your face is globular regalia.
People: 7
Places: 5
Products: 6
Partials: 9
Foreignisms: 4
--
Gary's Grid Gunk Gauge: 31 of 78 (40%) {A dubious distinction}
Funnyisms: 5 😄
Tee-Hee: They called 'em DAMES and BABES. Is that why they voted the way they did? So we can go back to doing this?
Uniclues:
1 Two of the same thing and a hyphen.
2 Anti-vaxxers.
3 Schweddy Balls.
1 IT'S A TIE ASPECTS
2 CHOLERA PLATOON
3 NOEL ORBS (~)
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: computers you fight / you can't type your password right / i mock you you blight TECH SAVVY HAIKU.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Agreed on Italian knowledge causing me issues with that one. I was trying to fit "condito" or something like that for a while.
Mister X and his wife go to a party and walk up to a group. He says, “Have you met the MISSUS? Yeah, she’s a real BABE, but was just some DAME before I met her.” These are terms men have used when referring to women…so perhaps the “meta” here is that those terms need to be cut out?
Count me with hand up for cheating to finish the puzzle with ELPHABA and STILL being stymied as I put in the O for PROST. I have NOHOW seen or heard this word while toasting. Maybe I’ll try it at next celebratory event…
This was a clever concept somewhat tarnished by names and trivia. After gradually working my way through most of it, I had blank white space in the center west block. Why? Because ELPHABA for starters. Followed closely by PYRO. What on earth is that? Then I had no idea on the kid lit character or the Surrey town or the Boolean operator or the country with the female Prime Minister or the TV series or the Italian word (or for that matter, the “classic” arcade game). And smack in the middle of all that, a clue “drink up” which assumes I know the answer is actually in German. Did I mention the names and trivia were frustrating for me?
So, after finishing, I looked at the women who had gone under the SAW and had some thoughts about that. First of all, the effort to showcase women is laudable. That said, I would have preferred more respectful terms of address such as Miss/Mizz, Lady, Ma’am or even something as simple as Mother, Sister, Aunt. And while I suppose MISSUS is fairly innocuous, BABE and DAME just scream not only slang but - derogatory slang. I know, I know, it’s just a crossword. But really ladies, if we don’t emphatically eschew such boorish terms, then why would anyone else feel a need to?
Yes, first S ever in the Bee. And remember, you can’t spell “apocalypse” without an S, because this is clearly a sign of the End Times.
Nothing for me to figure out, theme-wise. The sawed ladies were just...there. So I was completely bored.
Interesting approach, contrasting the names of four woman of notable power and attraction with three male kinda paternalistic references to women taken from parts of the full names and halved. A cutting comment? Quite a feat of construction and social commentary. Or maybe all just in good fun…
They left out BROAD.
Prime Rex. So good. Much preferred the write up to the puzzle. ITSATIE!!? Getouttahere.
Baseball game going to extra innings: Tied up.
Appreciated the theme concept and construction - a puzzle by women, about women is a much needed enterprise at the NYTXW. But, like @Rex, I was a bit put off by the references to women that were cut in half, unless "DAME was meant to reference the kind of dame as is Dame Judi Dench, I'm a little uneasy with the term. AND - in my house, if I referred to my wife as "BABE" (or a dame, for that matter) I'd be finding another place to sleep for the night.
MISSUS not as egregious but I grew up in a house where my Mom was "Ms." and she would make a point of it. So kinda rubs me the wrong way as well. Now that I'm writing this - I'm thinking that maybe cutting these terms in half was the whole point of the puzzle...hmmm... OK, maybe...
While the solve was pleasant enough, nothing really popped for me today so the fun factor was not as high as I've experienced in other Wednesdays. Nothing at all to complain about, just fell a little flat. But a 15 letter revealer is always impressive - nice work there!
No idea. Is Shortz becoming a natick king? Salata and adj?
I think what I like best about my on again/off again searches for Hidden Diagonal Words (HDW) is coming up with clues for them. Here's a clue for a 4 letter HDW in today's grid:
Beef or GOAT? (answer below)
I struggled in the early going with this puzzle and thought it was playing hard for a Wednesday. I started at the top and moved down the West side and had almost no answers. Then I got to the revealer clue and wrote it in without a single cross. All the answers below it were super easy, and the puzzle itself worked out easily from the bottom up. The theme definitely helped me with a few answers.
Speaking of answers, here the answer to the HDW clue:
Beef or GOAT? KOBE (off the K in 10D, PASSKEY)
Can't decide if that clue/answer works, but I like it.
Or, depending on who's watching the game with you, "It's not over YET?"
Thank you, kind sir or madam!
My husband’s been calling me Babe for decades, which I find most endearing. Now if a stranger called me that, it’d be a different story.
ITSATIE is about as likely to be exclaimed at the end of the ninth inning as NICEshot is after a PUTT. Either could happen, but neither does.
This certainly was a paean of sorts to feminism. Why, I
I SAWAWOMANINHALF the answers or more! Some of it could be considered demeaning, of course, like including a female type who hangs around the gym looking for a guy with a perfect set of stomach muscles as an ABHOR. I probably deserve some criticism for that last joke, so go ahead, PYLON.
Landing a woman on the moon is now a DEI no-no, so they're sending a load of unfathomable (to Trump) modern paintings instead and relabeling the mission as ARTyMeSS.
The constructor's missed a chance to clue LEONE as a woman. Anyone Remember Mama LEONE's in Times Square? There used to be a billlboard by the entrance to the Midtown Tunnel that said something like "If you'd eaten at Mama LEONE's you wouldn't be able to fit in this tunnel." I did a quick Google search and can't find any reference to that billboard, so perhaps I fantasized it. Anyone else remember it?
Nice theme idea, and a bit of crunch for a Wednesday. Thanks, Chandi Deitmer and Kate Hawkins.
Amen to cutting out those terms. Another suggestion from @Diane Joan at 8:17 was that these terms may be used to cut down women. Both interesting interpretations.
Medium.
WOEs: ELPHABA (I have not seen the movie), PASSKEY, THREE, and SALATA
Somewhat costly erasures: goo before SAP, I foLd before CALL, and Sneer before SCOWL (Hi @Rex).
Impressive construction, liked it.
@Anon 10:03 am - BROAD wouldn't work because it can't be sawn in half (without creating a mess!)
I didn't notice the women surrounding the sawed-in-half women either. That does make it a more impressive piece of construction I have to admit -- but the theme still failed to give me anything to do or have to figure out.
Oh Susanna isn't a folk song. It was written by Stephen Foster. Fact-checkers, anybody?
Yes, anyone who has taken a logic class for philosophy or any programming classes would also know this. I'd rate it no more obscure than whatever PROST is.
Your question re: ORS reminds me of an old math joke.
Three mathematicians walk into a bar. The bartender asks, "Would any of you like a beer?"
The first mathematician replies, "I'm not sure."
The second chimes in, "I don't know, either."
At which point the third mathematician says, "No, "
In the same spirit, my answer to your question as to whether anyone who's not an academic mathematician knows this is, "I don't know."
But those terms are sawed in half. To me, that fact says they are passé or discarded.
Perhaps the intent is to destroy these terms for women?
Thank you to the commenters who helped me appreciate the nuance of MISSUS, BABE, and DAME being the "woman" words that get cut, with a special nod to @Easy Ed 10:01. Of the named women themselves, I have personally asked SUSANNA not to cry, but otherwise know them only from reading about them (BEYONCE, ELPHABA, MATILDA) or not at all (MELANIE). Fun to admire the grid after solving, with the all-female cast and shadow of the circular saw.
Do-overs: Me, too, for Sneer; sAp before TAR. Humbled by: not understanding ADJ, grammar nerd that I consider myself to be.
Gen x'er here - I've never heard of that Melanie or Brand New Key. Makes me feel young. (?)!
If a dude had constructed this puzzle, people would be ripping it to pieces for the chosen terms for "woman." Double standards.
Thanks for the graphic of It Ain't Me Babe, the first comic book written and drawn entirely by women. Its co-publisher was Trina Robbins, a pioneer in comics and a friend of mine since the 1980s. She was a feminist cartoonist who also edited and drew for such classic underground comics as "All Girl Thrills" and "Wimmen's Comix." In the 1980s she became the first woman to draw Wonder Woman. Her bio, Last Girl Standing, is a great read with the intelligence, humor and generosity that reflect her personality. She's honored in various cartoon halls of fame and such, both for her pioneering comics and the books she wrote on cartoon history especially regarding women in the comics. She died last year of a sudden stroke not long after completing the anthology of pro-choice comics, Won't Back Down.
We baseball fans never say "It's a tie" when the game heads to the 10th inning. "It's all tied up" or "We're going to extra innings."
Totally agree on 1A definition. Baseball games do not end in ties, and nobody says that after 9 innings. Maybe at the end of a dead heat, or a close vote, but not in baseball. Doesn't even sound right in soccer.
Nice cross in the middle of ELPHABA. From the 1939 film: "Nobody can see the great Oz, not nobody, not NO HOW"
Cool Ladies Day at the NYTPuz.
Interestinly, M&A knew the three right-hand [unsawed] gals, but the three left-hand darlins were no-knows.
I reckon a fourth theme pair coulda been DEITMER/HAWKINS, cuz the sawed-up MERHAWK is at least a mermaid/bird hybrid, or somesuch...
staff weeject picks: MIS & SUS.
some faves: NBAJAM [cousin of NHLJELLY]. ACTUARY. PLATOON. PASSKEY. ABHOR clue clue clue.
Thanx for gangin up on us, Ms. Deitmer & Hawkins darlins. Magical stuff. Thanx for cuttin us in on it.
Masked & Anonymo2Us
... and afta that semi-feisty puz, comes this little biter ...
"Aftagrams" - 7x7 12 min. themed runt puzzle:
**gruntz**
M&A
Thanks again EGs for the laughs Your second paragraph had me chuckling all the way through.
Couldn't believe the number of commenters who didn't get ADJ. I thought that was a very clever clue. Took me quite a while to get the answer, but when I did Wow.
I thought this puzzle was really creative, actually. And I don't know if this was part of the constructors' idea but the top of the grid with the cross shape pointing down reminded me of the symbol for Venus that's associated with femininity. If that was intentional, it elevates this puzzle way up for me!
my first reaction upon finishing this puzzle was “yuck women sawn in half! that’s disgusting. How did the editors let that happen?” But noting that the constructors were women and your further clarification of the semi derogatory terms embedded in the names of other women… Has changed my opinion. Well, done
Squad is closer than squadron for platoon. Not a lot of veterans on the staff?
I was surprised that the constructors were women. I found the names of women in this theme offensive - DAME & MISSUS definitely, maybe not so much for BABE if it's a reference used mutually by a spouse, bf, loved one, etc.
Or maybe I'm just over-analyzing.
Good point - I agree.
Cool concept. I also like that this acurately represents the actual trick, which involves two whole women. Plus we get ACTUARY again!
Or, as I and others like to say, "Free baseball!"
Maybe somebody has already said this, but Elphaba was given the name based on the author of The Wizard of Oz: L. Frank Baum
"Free baseball!" is what we say in our house too. BTW, I can understand why the league made the change, but I don't like the new rule of putting the guy who made the last out on second base to start the next inning. Seems like rewarding failure.
German for cheers!
I couldn’t agree more.
Ani DiFranco still records on her own Righteous Babe label, and she's hardly a relic of the '60s.
Slightly weird but novel theme. Lately I seem to always be complaining "too many names" but since the six long ones are a necessary part of the theme, it seemed okay. ELPHABA was a total unknown. Hands up for TEMPURA at first but a known name (LEONE) came to the rescue.
I finished with a bizarre mistake: I read the clue for 71 across as "Yarn spinner's stool" and obediently typed in STOOL for the answer. Why the... huh? Brain?... are you there, brain?
I really chuckled when I got to MELANIE and “The Key.” A week ago (or so) I commented about roller skating ‘60s style on my steel skates that clamped onto my saddle shoes via my skate key. After that solve my ear worm was 🎶 “I have a brand new pair of roller skates, You have a brand new key . . . “ 🎶 and here it is again. To me that song is Melanie’s most famous, but it may just be me and my love of zooming through the neighborhood. Mom hated it because it damaged my school shoes. But in my day you could easily know who skated because they had dirty, worn “clamp damage” on their school shoes!
So, the puzzle was sort of uneven. And I wanted to cut A WOMAN IN HALF for exactly the reason OFL cites: never observed a SAW in this trick, only a sort of guiatine-esque or a cleaver type thing employed for the trick. Left it there for only a bit; the AWL and AWOL was a quick fix.
I enjoyed the women’s slant today but honestly thought it was a bit uneven caused mostly by the grid and its huge number of three letter answers. The theme though was well executed. I noted the women’s names and the theme “sawn in half” parts of those names working together. Sometimes a grid shape is determined by making the theme work. And this one did, including the black “chopping devices(?)” used to SAW A WOMAN IN HALF. Congratulations ladies.
"Dame" is still an honorific in England; "Missus" is simply a literal transcription of the abbreviation "Mrs."; "Babe" may or may not be a slur, depending on when, how, and by whom it's said. (It's also a gender-neutral term of affection for a lover or a close friend, especially in the South.)
Tell that to all the dignified British ladies whose honorific is "Dame," and tell it to feminist folksinger Ani DiFranco who proudly records on her own Righteous Babe label.
SB is 2500! I had no idea it's been around that long. The S is shocking; I hope it's not permanent. Maybe they could include it for every 500th puzzle.
JJK
I avoided math after high school
But in the early days of computer search I did read about using Boolean logic in searches, referencing ors & ands. Also this has appeared in the Times puzzle more than once. But I have very little knowledge of the math behind it all. So I’m far from a math prof but found it easy crosswordese.
Another woe for this Brit - NOHOW rings no bells; I’ve never ever ever heard that
Also irked by the lack of reference to PYRO being a truncated word
Sumptown Steve
I am only commenting because you criticized Shortz
Adj. is hardly a natick. You simply missed the trick which happens. Three ADJectives , with related meanings, in a clue asking for an abbreviation. The related meanings of course are the misdirection or trick. Very common crossword clue everywhere.
Anonymous 8:02 AM and others.
I was a bit surprised by the choice of words to saw in half and expected much objection from Rex. He noted who constructed the puzzle which I had not looked at. So we have a question of why the choice.
I would guess they were making fun of the terms or having fun with the old terms. ( interesting how the old meaning of dame, still currently used in England ended in a a quite different meaning in WW Ii slang. Cue South Pacific)
Anonymous 11:15 AM
Question of definition of the term folk song
I have seen innumerable references to folk song written by someone from the post war folk revival, never mind the 19th century Foster. Not a fact check error at all. Your definition of folk song doesn’t is too restrictive v
Carols
As a Boomer for me Melanie was almost a gimme. But Rex’s obituary excerpt caught me up short because I missed the fact she had died. As someone said, she had a series of hit songs in the early’70’s and then receded from public view.
Reminds me that I am old.
John 12:08
Totally disagree
Who is talking makes a huge difference. Same with race.
Stu B
In the US Pyro has become a word so no need to cue abbreviation. Nohow was as noted by Lewis used almost 90 years ago in the Wizard of Oz! So both are fair in an American puzzle.
@Jazzman: And neither of those examples changes the fact that both are considered by many women to be implied connotations of disrespect.
Thanks for the "just kidding" pablo. I thought Elphaba was made up, then you had me with women (plural!!). My sister said it is from L Frank Baum, the author L Fa Ba, should be ElfRaba tho
Agreed, “it’s a tie” at 1-across - something never said by anyone who knows anything about baseball - cast a pall over the rest of the puzzle for me.
't-werks well
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