THEME: so to speak... — familiar two-word phrases reimagined as extremely literal categories of language, e.g. CATCHPHRASES = phrases about catching, specifically; WEASEL WORDS = words about weasels; etc.:
Theme answers:
CATCHPHRASES (20A: "Eye on the ball," "Get under it!," "I got it!," etc.) (phrases said in reference to catching (a baseball))
WEASEL WORDS (35A: Mink, ferret, stoat, etc.) (words for types of weasel)
FINISH LINES (44A: "Ta-da," "All done," "There you have it," etc.) (lines indicating that you've finished something)
SIGN LANGUAGE (55A: Yield, Stop, Dead End, etc.) (language found on street signs)
Word of the Day:THE CHASE(4D: Action film climax one might "cut to," in a saying) —
No great fan of this one. The second word seems to have a slightly different relation to the first word in each instance, e.g. they're phrases about catching, but then they aren't words about weasels—they're words for types of weasel. Then they're lines that themselves signify a finish. Then words simply found on signs. There'a self-reflexive thing going on in each case, so I guess it's tight enough for Tuesday ("tight enough for Tuesday" now being the expression I'll use for "not as tight as it oughta be, tbh"). Also, FINISH LINES is a weird outlier, in that it's the only answer where the second word (LINES) is completely reimagined—from actual lines (at the ends of races) to things one might say. All the other second words mean "spoken things" in both the surface and reimagined versions of the themers. There's a mild cuteness to this theme, but not enough to elevate the puzzle above the general guck of the fill, which remains largely overfamiliar olden, and stale. EDSEL! NENE! URSA! EMT! IPO! All the hits. The problem with the fill is mostly just blandness. Nothing to WINCE(S) AT, really. Just blah. My warmest feeling for this puzzle come from the fact that it leaves me double-vindicated for points I made yesterday, namely that the word is "Fey," not FAE, and that the expression is "AW, GEE!," not "OH, GEE(Z)!" Actually, I don't think I'm vindicated in that last point at all, since GEE and GEEZ are different words entirely (I'd never thought about their similarity before). Still, when I saw "AW" emerge I was like "yes! AW, GEEZ! That's what I wanted yesterday!" As for "Fey," maybe "Fey" is the adjective and FAE are the ... creatures? Admittedly this is not a topic I care about at all. I couldn't even get through Lord of the Rings. I just have a hard time working up the energy to care about what elves or fairies get up to. If nothing else, maybe today helps me differentiate Fey/Fae and "Oh, geez!" / "AW, GEE" in the future.
A couple of other things that amused me about this puzzle. There was a question going around BlueSky yesterday about "things you didn't learn until far too late in life." Some of the examples people shared were pretty funny.
To add to this discourse, I can now tell you that I was Today Years Old when I found out that the expression "cut to THE CHASE" had anything to do with the exciting part of action movies, or movies at all (4D: Action film climax one might "cut to," in a saying). I thought "THE CHASE" was just, like, "the gist," "the point," "the heart of the matter." Kinda like the phrase "cut to the quick," where "the quick" looks like one thing (those who are speedy?) but means something totally different (the sensitive flesh under your toe or fingernail, which then stands as a metaphor for your sensitivity generally). I thought "THE CHASE" was just some olde-tymey slang for "the good part." But this whole time it's been a film metaphor!? Wow.
Bullets:
19A: Court colleague of Kagan and Kavanaugh (ALITO) — ugh on two levels (crosswordese / malevolence); there will be others (I know from experience) who are much more bothered by OMAR (31A: Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan) than they are by ALITO. Those people and I will have Very little in common.
70A: Cryptanalyst Turing (ALAN) — this clue kind of makes him sound like a yeti, but that would be Cryptozoological Turing, I suppose.
10D: Dessert served with the query "Cono o coppetta?" in Italy (GELATO) — do they really ask the same damn question, "cone or cup?" I guess Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder were right: people really are the same wherever you go?
21D: Circle at the top of a stick figure (HEAD) — I can't be the only one who wrote in HALO here, can I? Show me some solidarity, please.
46D: Utah, geometrically speaking (HEXAGON) — because FREAKY-SHAPED, CHONKY, and BLOCKY wouldn't fit.
65D: Where to find a kitten's "toe beans" (PAW) — I'll leave you with my kitten's toe beans...
Easy except for the XACTOS/WINCESAT cross, which gave me a brief problem. I had "ohgee" before AWGEE, which made WINCESAT tough to get. I enjoyed the puzzle more than Rex did, which isn't unusual.
There were a few trouble spots scattered around the grid - phrases like AW GEE and OH WELL can drift off in various directions, and WINCES AT needed some help from the crosses.
I can never remember Sal Kahn’s first name, even though I saw him give a presentation regarding his on line academy. He seemed like an intensely intelligent individual and quite the humanitarian. The world would be a beer place if there were more like him around.
I spent some time post-solve wondering the same thing, until I realized it’s not a themer. It’s symmetrical to ON MESSAGE, which really felt like it should be a themer but also isn’t.
There’s cute and nuanced like yesterday’s theme and there’s trying to be too cute which this one lean towards. Agree with the big guy on the disjoint themers - couldn’t really warm up to any of them.
Easy. Only one unknown name, hi SAL, but was expecting some sort of revealer and instead got a CARGOSHIP. OHWELL.
In the "things I have always believed department", I have always believed that hogwash was used to wash SWINE and was not "consumed" by them. Side note, I still think this.
I liked the CATCHPHRASES . I should look up the names of the players involved but Roger Angell told the story of the Mets outfielder who learned the phrase "yo la tengo" to communicate "I got it" to his Spanish speaking shortstop, used it in a game, and was run over by his English-speaking right fielder.
Nice enough Tuesday, RC, Don't think it Really Clicked but pleasant enough. Thanks for a fair amount of fun.
Thought this was a light and funny puzzle. And a funny Rex write up. Over-thinking the themers can lead to some mental indigestion but that’s pretty much shooting oneself in the foot, or some other part. Well, hopefully you know what I mean…In my younger days was a big user of XACTOS but that was still the toughest answer of the puzzle for me.
In Tioga County, PA, more folks than you'd imagine believe well into young adulthood that the local "Grand Canyon" (aka Pine Creek Gorge) is THE Grand Canyon. This is not a personal confession, just a report. ;-)
One kind of humor is taking things literally that aren’t meant to be taken literally. Here it is in the box today, where Rena took two-word phrases whose second word means “terms”, and, with a straight face, translated them literally. Hah!
Rena, you have been prolific, with this your fourth NYT puzzle in less than eight months. All of your themes have made me smile, each in a different way -- thank you, and I’m hoping for more to come!
Ah, oh…I guess this is my hobbyhorse, but, things have gone too far with casual phrases. When they are generic, and could be just about anything, there isn’t any reason to come up with this one or that one, they stand out as awful filler. This goes for quirky debuts too that seem more about getting something into the puzzle than actually constructing something interesting. I do think I’ve lost this battle.
Hey All ! Nice puz. Hung up less than Rex on the Theme. It works just fine. Could've clued ON MESSAGE and CARGOSHIP as Themers also, if so inclined. At least the MESSAGE one would've tied into the Theme nicely.
Well, now that I've analyzed it a bit further, the Theme seems like it could've been a progression Theme, ala WORDS, LINES, PHRASES, LANGUAGE. Maybe.
I liked this a lot more than @Rex did. I thought the themers were all good, and the differing relations between the first words and the second words bothered me not at all. WEASEL WORDS made me chuckle, remembering how my mother would never let us get away with saying, “The glass broke.” Her eyebrows would ascend to her hairline and she’d ask, “Do you mean you broke the glass?” We had to own it, baby.
I really wanted ON MESSAGE to be one of the theme answers and I think it could be with a clue like [“Powered up,” “Activated,” “In operation,” etc.]. The problem is, of course, that for the sake of symmetry, CARGO SHIP, or rather the answer at 62A, would also have to be a themer. Replacing CARGO SHIP would be a bear, because one of its crosses – WINCES AT – goes through two other theme answers. I guess it couldn’t be done, but if I were a constructor…
In the category of youthful misconceptions --- I thought “virgin” as in the Virgin Mary (the lady in all the Christmas carols) meant a woman who hadn’t had any children yet. In fact, I think someone told me that, and I more or less bought it. Except that I couldn’t figure out why Mary’s being a virgin was such a big deal, because surely all women were until they’d had their first child. And why did people keep referring to her as the Virgin Mary even after Jesus was born?
(A more immediate revelation of this morning was that it's XACTO and not eXACTO.)
I really enjoyed this one. I always understand where @Rex is coming from as I read his critiques, they just never bother me as much or even at all. I loved all the themers today and to go along with things I learned way too late in life - I was today years old when I learned the term WEASELWORDS! As @Rex pointed out, there is some olde timey short stuff sprinkled about but I barely noticed as the rest of the puzzle gave me real joy. I did scratch my head for just a few seconds trying to figure out how two of the longer acrosses (ONMESSAGE and CARGOSHIP) fit the theme, and then realized they were just nice, symmetrical long ones - an added bonus. More Tuesdays like this please, Rena!
@Lewis - I finally got the opportunity to enjoy your LA Times puzzle of the 16th! What a joy! It's evident that you take the time to construct a grid that leaves the solver smiling but also properly challenged. Thank you for the fun ride!
Perfectly fine Tuesday. Not just “ tight enough” but clever, reasonably easy early week puzzle. Fill was above average imo. I liked the whole puzzle.
Until 9 years ago I thought Richard Nixon was the most contemptible President of my lifetime. Watched his post-resignation interview with David Frost Sunday night. Compared to he who must not be named, Nixon sounded like Daniel Webster.
What is that phrase meaning that an automobile becomes really cool? Oh yeah, CARGOSHIP!
If it weren't for U, the Apostle would BESTPAL.
My son turned in a raunchy essay about an Australian rock band. Teacher commented "URSA about INXS is SOCD: C+".
Anyone note the cross of CROSS and WORDS? Me neither.
Waiter: Would you care for some Italian wine or perhaps some moisturizer? Customer: Sure, bring me AVEENO.
My favorite misconception (of many) that I had when young involved foreign languages. I really believed that the only way anyone could understand anything was in English. So, if you spoke a foreign language, you had your thoughts in English and then had to translate them before speaking. Same in reverse for hearing things. Sounds a bit "America First-ish" now, but back then it seemed just obvious to me.
I liked this quite a bit. Who would have thought that a SIGNLANGUAGE puzzle would come across so well? Thanks, Rena Cohen.
For Barbara S.: Mary was called Virgin Mary after Christ's birth on the assumption that He had been the result of an Immaculate Conception, as distinct from one resulting from coitus. Not all Christians believe in the Immaculate Conception.
It’s definitely a phrase. It’s what you say when you are trying to “weasel out” of actually saying something. It’s all maybe, perhaps, might have, etc.
To all those who have ever accused Rex of being a curmudgeon, I can only respond by saying that anyone who loves cats and kittens as much as he does can only be describes, at worst, as a PAPABEAR! "Toe beans" indeed...
At the risk of sounding stupid, what's wrong with Jesse Sheidlower's understanding of the Berlin wall? Obviously the wall wasn't a perfectly straight north-south line but is that not otherwise fairly accurate? That's what I always thought it was too, now I'm confused
Clever, inventive wordplay theme with all the theme answers beautifully in-the-language. A good idea, very well-executed.
But, oh gee (or AW GEE), if only there could have been something resembling a teensy challenge. A need to do any thinking. No matter how much I may like and admire a theme, I don't want the puzzle to lie down and play dead for me. Not even on a Tuesday.
My refrigerator door is -- and has always been -- pristine. No anything of any kind on it, the better to get to what's behind it.. So MAGNET was the only tricky answer for me. Question: Is the MAGNET itself the "souvenir" or does the MAGNET hold the real souvenir in place? Just asking for a friend.
TIL not just one but two new terms: toe beans and WEASEL WORDS. Thanks for both the adorable toe beans photo and the WEASEL WORDS link, @Rex! As a bonus, in the WW article under “See also” was ‘If-by-whiskey.’ I’d heard of the speech before but forgot it was by a politician from the state where I live. This “reenactment” is three and a half minutes of inspired oration.
A nod to yesterday’s TOMATO: you say ALITO, I say GELATO.
I think my favorite themer is CATCHPHRASES because half of it is a six-letter string of consonants. TCHPHR!
Nice catch by @Roo about the progression, even if they aren’t quite in order in the grid.
I liked the theme and got to learn stuff. Good puzzle, Ms. Cohen.
I quote Rex on May 4: “after a nearly 3-year hiatus, AVEENO makes its second appearance of May (and as we know from this puzzle, May is only four days old).” Two thirds of the way in, we got another! No way I’ll ever forget it now.
WORDS, PHRASES, LANGUAGE?? That's the theme? Maybe this would work with a really clever revealer, but I can't find one; the first words don't seem to be linked. I'm obviously missing something, so I'll go read Rex in a minute, hoping he's figured it out.
Meanwhile--was it yesterday we had FAE as an answer, and today "fey" in a clue? OK. And I can't whether the idea of a Cherubic Greek god is too ecumenical to make sense--cherubs are a Christian thing, aren't they?
I had no idea what Khan's first name was, and if not for WINCES, I'd have been stuck between oh GEE and Ah GEE.
But my real disappointment is that my first choice for that pound cake, hEavy, didn't work out, as that would have had to be Ihop, only one coumn away from DUNKIN in a sugary fast-food heaven.
You got me thinking about clues for ON MESSAGE. All I can come up with are "green light, quiet hum, etc." but I think we need one more example of something that indicates ON.
When I was a little boy, I thought pedestrian was a type of religion. I guess it was close enough to Presbyterian to confuse me. I even raised my hand in class (3rd grade?) when the teacher asked us to name religions. Some time later, when I learned what pedestrian means I was retrospectively thankful that I wasn't called on. Dodged a bullet!
There was a "This American Life" episode on the topic (things you find out way late in life) that was excellent. One woman said she only learned as an adult that unicorns never existed. She thought they existed once but became extinct. She made some comment about them at work and everyone got quiet. Her defense was they are no more weird than zebras -- and zebras exist. I can see it.
What sort of god would a pedestrian worship? A foot god?
Most people seem to have liked this theme more than I did, so I'm trying to figure out why I didn't. The thing is, each individual answer is a witty interpretation of its own clue, and fun to get. But putting them altogether doesn't really add anything.
Also, I'd forgotten to login when I posted before; it's the @anon comment that omits FINISH LINES from its theme discussion.
I grew up in a Broadway show tune household in the 50's/60's, and for most of my childhood I believed that one of Julie Andrews "favorite things" was "monkeys that fly with the moon on their wings." Perhaps I was influenced by the hench-apes of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Both! For example, on my refrigerator a MAGNET from SF MOMA does double duty - reminding me of my San Francisco visit and holding a souvenir postcard from the Pergamon Museum in Berlin
Words, words, words - nice theme for a crossword :) I liked the puzzle a lot - easy, yes, but fun to solve with its clever theme. I loved seeing WEASEL WORDS, and am glad that those who weren't familiar with the expression can now add it to their LANGUAGE trove.
Until I went to college, I thought the three major religious options in the U.S. were Lutheran, Catholic, and Jewish.
Do-over: for the final theme answer, a stab at "Street"...something. Help from previous puzzles: SAL.
What a nice Tuesday theme! My favorits was WEASEL WORDS. (I see it is causing discussion today but I was familiar with it.) I was hung-up on the end of that phrase, with WEASEL in place, because I didn't use the theme to come up with it. Finally, SWINE put WORDS in my (mouth) grid.
I totally misread the Italian in 10D's clue, thinking it read "Como" and thought the phrase might mean "with or without" and was wondering if it involved being invited to add whipped cream or not. Now I see it is "Cone or cup", har.
I agree with Lewis and Hugh re the themes. I thought it very fun seeing the phrases interpreted literally. "Weasel words " wa les amusing to me than the rest because it wa a much less familiar expression. Fun Tuesday puzzle.
Hands up for thinking ON MESSAGE was a themer -- because MESSAGE + PHRASES + WORDS + LINES + LANGUAGE is totally consistent -- and wondering what the heck was up with the symmetrical CARGO SHIP. Kind of careless editing.
And too many brand names: AVEENO REESES EDSEL XACTOS IMAC DUNKIN.
Was thinking the same thing at 56D ISEE for Oh, OK. Just too vague. Could mean lots of things, depending on tone of voice, etc. My first thought was, "If you say so, pal."
Nancy, my fridge door was also pristine for many years. I was appalled at the unsightly messes on my friends' fridge doors and decreed that we would never do that in our house. Then we had a grandson. Now his smiling face greets us every morning when we reach for milk for the coffee and tea. I still don't want a fridge door that is a poster board but I've backed off and amended the total ban to allow 2 photos and a grocery list. The older I get, the more I compromise.
@Anon9:56am West Berlin was an exclave located totally within East Germany, not on the border of the two countries. The Berlin Wall completely encircled West Berlin.
WEASELWORDS was unfamiliar to m&e, but otherwise I thought the puztheme was kinda neat. Perhaps one more "weasel" of the ALITO persuasion woulda helped m&e get it.
staff weeject pick: PAW. Got to learn all about toe beans. Nice pic from @RP on that subject, btw. Still like his recent BANDEAU pic even better, tho. And great weeject stacks, NW & SE, too boot.
Some primo debut entries, today -- includin: DUNKIN. WINCESAT. BESTPAL. ONMESSAGE. XACTOS. Another fave: That there AWGEE sequel.
Thanx for the the catchy, weaselly words, Ms. Cohen darlin. Nice job.
Masked & Anonymo5Us
... awgeez, a sequel runt ...
"Heading South and On a Ride" - 7x7 12 min. themed runt puzzle:
Fun and breezy downs-only Tuesday. Thought the theme was interesting because, you know, language.
Some notes and nits, though: - Why is IMAC 6D clued as all-in-one? - 56D clue for ISEE was just too vague. 63D HUH was somewhat stronger. - The clue for THECHASE 4D was way too long. Could have been as simple as "You might cut to it". - 24D ERASER. I dropped in cheese, as in the old Brit expression, "they're as alike as chalk and cheese. Oof! - 28D SWINE. Was that supposed to be some sort of misdirect leading me think about gullible voters? Worked for a few minutes. Made me think, and I liked it. - And on the AWGEE/Oh, gee thing I use the AW one when confronted with cutesiness and the OH version when I'm confronted with something that befuddles me, which happens more often than I would like to admit.
I was in my thirties before I learned that the cap on deodorant could be easily removed by twisting the dial that advances the deodorant upward. Before then, I’d grumble while using my teeth to pry it off.
I had WINCESAS, SHAD (for THAW), and PAD (for PAW) in the SE for longer than I'd really like to admit, for a perfect mix of missing the obvious and choosing the abstruse all at the same time. On the other hand, they are all kind of valid answers for the clues, so sort of an alternative valid solution? (okay, winces AS is really pushing it)
WEASEL WORDS is how most people describe my blog entries. And speaking of, I received the axe again on Monday. In looking over my submission, I can't see any reason, unless the RIB-LINT MAIDEN uniclue was a bit too horizontal. Nevertheless, I try again.
Today's puzzle was a yawn city. And a gunk-fest to boot.
1 Ambulance driver arriving in a single bound. 2 Street I ambled down in completing my novel. 3 Harvest organs for fun and profit. 4 How a notable Lady described her chalkboard music fashion. 5 To drink until the single ladies weren't scary anymore. 6 One shape to rule them all. 7 Reaction on learning we weren't getting DQ.
1 ONE HOP EMT 2 WEASEL WORDS AVE. 3 USE XACTOS 4 I AM ERASER GAGA 5 BEST PAL IDEA 6 HEAD HEXAGON 7 WINCES AT GELATO (~)
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: Custodial staff protesting a shortage of gardening implements. RAKE SIT-IN MAIDS.
This is AVEENO’s third this month! 5/1 and 5/4—I only remembered that because on 5/4 Rex pointed out that it had already appeared twice this month after a three-year hiatus.
My students are often surprised that I as an English professor struggle with spelling, as if I wrote a dissertation on how to spell words or as if my comps were a spelling bee. On the contrary, I study the Renaissance so I can imagine a world where spelling doesn’t matter.
Rex is welcome not to be interested in fairies and elves, even if I love ‘em!
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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75 comments:
Easy except for the XACTOS/WINCESAT cross, which gave me a brief problem. I had "ohgee" before AWGEE, which made WINCESAT tough to get.
I enjoyed the puzzle more than Rex did, which isn't unusual.
Nope, sorry @Rex, no Halo here. Also no overwrites and no WOEs. Easy Tuesday.
What does Cargo Ship have to do with any of this? What am I missing?
WEASELWORDS seems like an outlier; all the other themers are known phrases, but that one is just WORDS that mean WEASEL.
I just learned today what a “toe bean” is. Does that count?
There were a few trouble spots scattered around the grid - phrases like AW GEE and OH WELL can drift off in various directions, and WINCES AT needed some help from the crosses.
I can never remember Sal Kahn’s first name, even though I saw him give a presentation regarding his on line academy. He seemed like an intensely intelligent individual and quite the humanitarian. The world would be a beer place if there were more like him around.
I solved this one Downs-only, so I guess the thing I learned late in life was that this wasn't themeless.
I spent some time post-solve wondering the same thing, until I realized it’s not a themer. It’s symmetrical to ON MESSAGE, which really felt like it should be a themer but also isn’t.
There’s cute and nuanced like yesterday’s theme and there’s trying to be too cute which this one lean towards. Agree with the big guy on the disjoint themers - couldn’t really warm up to any of them.
OH WELL
The product placement stack is worrisome. Add DUNKIN and XACTO and we have a sell out. Liked BEST PAL and GELATO.
I’m like a MAGNET - you’re like a piece of wood
Flat Tuesday morning solve.
Why Me LORD
Well, I thought it was an extremely clever theme. I agree that FINISH LINES is odd because the meaning of LINES is changed.
No issues with the fill today, either. Well, maybe the proper-pileup in central east with REESES, AVEENO, XACTOS, OMAR, SAL.
Up until about two years ago I thought grebes were a type of ducks; so embarrassing.
Easy. Only one unknown name, hi SAL, but was expecting some sort of revealer and instead got a CARGOSHIP. OHWELL.
In the "things I have always believed department", I have always believed that hogwash was used to wash SWINE and was not "consumed" by them. Side note, I still think this.
I liked the CATCHPHRASES . I should look up the names of the players involved but Roger Angell told the story of the Mets outfielder who learned the phrase "yo la tengo" to communicate "I got it" to his Spanish speaking shortstop, used it in a game, and was run over by his English-speaking right fielder.
Nice enough Tuesday, RC, Don't think it Really Clicked but pleasant enough. Thanks for a fair amount of fun.
Thought this was a light and funny puzzle. And a funny Rex write up. Over-thinking the themers can lead to some mental indigestion but that’s pretty much shooting oneself in the foot, or some other part. Well, hopefully you know what I mean…In my younger days was a big user of XACTOS but that was still the toughest answer of the puzzle for me.
In Tioga County, PA, more folks than you'd imagine believe well into young adulthood that the local "Grand Canyon" (aka Pine Creek Gorge) is THE Grand Canyon. This is not a personal confession, just a report. ;-)
One kind of humor is taking things literally that aren’t meant to be taken literally. Here it is in the box today, where Rena took two-word phrases whose second word means “terms”, and, with a straight face, translated them literally. Hah!
Anything that makes me smile, as this theme did, is a gift. Also making me smile were the PuzzPair© of ERASER / HEAD, and a backward TIME crossing NIGH.
Rena, you have been prolific, with this your fourth NYT puzzle in less than eight months. All of your themes have made me smile, each in a different way -- thank you, and I’m hoping for more to come!
Ah, oh…I guess this is my hobbyhorse, but, things have gone too far with casual phrases. When they are generic, and could be just about anything, there isn’t any reason to come up with this one or that one, they stand out as awful filler. This goes for quirky debuts too that seem more about getting something into the puzzle than actually constructing something interesting. I do think I’ve lost this battle.
Hey All !
Nice puz. Hung up less than Rex on the Theme. It works just fine. Could've clued ON MESSAGE and CARGOSHIP as Themers also, if so inclined. At least the MESSAGE one would've tied into the Theme nicely.
Well, now that I've analyzed it a bit further, the Theme seems like it could've been a progression Theme, ala WORDS, LINES, PHRASES, LANGUAGE. Maybe.
Anyway, good for a TuesPuz.
Have a good one.
One F
RooMonster
DarrinV
I liked this a lot more than @Rex did. I thought the themers were all good, and the differing relations between the first words and the second words bothered me not at all. WEASEL WORDS made me chuckle, remembering how my mother would never let us get away with saying, “The glass broke.” Her eyebrows would ascend to her hairline and she’d ask, “Do you mean you broke the glass?” We had to own it, baby.
I really wanted ON MESSAGE to be one of the theme answers and I think it could be with a clue like [“Powered up,” “Activated,” “In operation,” etc.]. The problem is, of course, that for the sake of symmetry, CARGO SHIP, or rather the answer at 62A, would also have to be a themer. Replacing CARGO SHIP would be a bear, because one of its crosses – WINCES AT – goes through two other theme answers. I guess it couldn’t be done, but if I were a constructor…
In the category of youthful misconceptions --- I thought “virgin” as in the Virgin Mary (the lady in all the Christmas carols) meant a woman who hadn’t had any children yet. In fact, I think someone told me that, and I more or less bought it. Except that I couldn’t figure out why Mary’s being a virgin was such a big deal, because surely all women were until they’d had their first child. And why did people keep referring to her as the Virgin Mary even after Jesus was born?
(A more immediate revelation of this morning was that it's XACTO and not eXACTO.)
I really enjoyed this one. I always understand where @Rex is coming from as I read his critiques, they just never bother me as much or even at all. I loved all the themers today and to go along with things I learned way too late in life - I was today years old when I learned the term WEASELWORDS!
As @Rex pointed out, there is some olde timey short stuff sprinkled about but I barely noticed as the rest of the puzzle gave me real joy. I did scratch my head for just a few seconds trying to figure out how two of the longer acrosses (ONMESSAGE and CARGOSHIP) fit the theme, and then realized they were just nice, symmetrical long ones - an added bonus.
More Tuesdays like this please, Rena!
@Lewis - I finally got the opportunity to enjoy your LA Times puzzle of the 16th! What a joy! It's evident that you take the time to construct a grid that leaves the solver smiling but also properly challenged. Thank you for the fun ride!
AW GEE I thought the theme was kinda cute. Not as cute as your kitten’s paws though. Get ALITO out of my puzzle, boo!!!!! Too easy also.
For Anonymous:"Weasel words," as an expression, refer to weak verbiage used in making excuses...such as "Why can't I?" or "I think it's really OK."
Perfectly fine Tuesday. Not just “ tight enough” but clever, reasonably easy early week puzzle. Fill was above average imo. I liked the whole puzzle.
Until 9 years ago I thought Richard Nixon was the most contemptible President of my lifetime. Watched his post-resignation interview with David Frost Sunday night. Compared to he who must not be named, Nixon sounded like Daniel Webster.
“Weasel words” is a phrase, and a useful one.
Same here!
What is that phrase meaning that an automobile becomes really cool? Oh yeah, CARGOSHIP!
If it weren't for U, the Apostle would BESTPAL.
My son turned in a raunchy essay about an Australian rock band. Teacher commented "URSA about INXS is SOCD: C+".
Anyone note the cross of CROSS and WORDS? Me neither.
Waiter: Would you care for some Italian wine or perhaps some moisturizer?
Customer: Sure, bring me AVEENO.
My favorite misconception (of many) that I had when young involved foreign languages. I really believed that the only way anyone could understand anything was in English. So, if you spoke a foreign language, you had your thoughts in English and then had to translate them before speaking. Same in reverse for hearing things. Sounds a bit "America First-ish" now, but back then it seemed just obvious to me.
I liked this quite a bit. Who would have thought that a SIGNLANGUAGE puzzle would come across so well? Thanks, Rena Cohen.
For Barbara S.: Mary was called Virgin Mary after Christ's birth on the assumption that He had been the result of an Immaculate Conception, as distinct from one resulting from coitus. Not all Christians believe in the Immaculate Conception.
It’s definitely a phrase. It’s what you say when you are trying to “weasel out” of actually saying something. It’s all maybe, perhaps, might have, etc.
To all those who have ever accused Rex of being a curmudgeon, I can only respond by saying that anyone who loves cats and kittens as much as he does can only be describes, at worst, as a PAPABEAR! "Toe beans" indeed...
On message is over my head. Also little interest in political leanings... I'm a Mets fan and love catch phrases!
At the risk of sounding stupid, what's wrong with Jesse Sheidlower's understanding of the Berlin wall? Obviously the wall wasn't a perfectly straight north-south line but is that not otherwise fairly accurate? That's what I always thought it was too, now I'm confused
Clever, inventive wordplay theme with all the theme answers beautifully in-the-language. A good idea, very well-executed.
But, oh gee (or AW GEE), if only there could have been something resembling a teensy challenge. A need to do any thinking. No matter how much I may like and admire a theme, I don't want the puzzle to lie down and play dead for me. Not even on a Tuesday.
My refrigerator door is -- and has always been -- pristine. No anything of any kind on it, the better to get to what's behind it.. So MAGNET was the only tricky answer for me. Question: Is the MAGNET itself the "souvenir" or does the MAGNET hold the real souvenir in place? Just asking for a friend.
TIL not just one but two new terms: toe beans and WEASEL WORDS. Thanks for both the adorable toe beans photo and the WEASEL WORDS link, @Rex! As a bonus, in the WW article under “See also” was ‘If-by-whiskey.’ I’d heard of the speech before but forgot it was by a politician from the state where I live. This “reenactment” is three and a half minutes of inspired oration.
A nod to yesterday’s TOMATO: you say ALITO, I say GELATO.
I think my favorite themer is CATCHPHRASES because half of it is a six-letter string of consonants. TCHPHR!
Nice catch by @Roo about the progression, even if they aren’t quite in order in the grid.
I liked the theme and got to learn stuff. Good puzzle, Ms. Cohen.
I’m 68 and I had Never heard the Term weasel words before.
I quote Rex on May 4: “after a nearly 3-year hiatus, AVEENO makes its second appearance of May (and as we know from this puzzle, May is only four days old).” Two thirds of the way in, we got another! No way I’ll ever forget it now.
Long-haired, freaky-shaped states...need not apply.
Me too on that one.
Easy. No costly erasures and no WOEs.
Low on junk, amusing theme, breezy fun solve, liked it quite a bit more than @Rex did.
WORDS, PHRASES, LANGUAGE?? That's the theme? Maybe this would work with a really clever revealer, but I can't find one; the first words don't seem to be linked. I'm obviously missing something, so I'll go read Rex in a minute, hoping he's figured it out.
Meanwhile--was it yesterday we had FAE as an answer, and today "fey" in a clue? OK. And I can't whether the idea of a Cherubic Greek god is too ecumenical to make sense--cherubs are a Christian thing, aren't they?
I had no idea what Khan's first name was, and if not for WINCES, I'd have been stuck between oh GEE and Ah GEE.
But my real disappointment is that my first choice for that pound cake, hEavy, didn't work out, as that would have had to be Ihop, only one coumn away from DUNKIN in a sugary fast-food heaven.
You got me thinking about clues for ON MESSAGE. All I can come up with are "green light, quiet hum, etc." but I think we need one more example of something that indicates ON.
When I was a little boy, I thought pedestrian was a type of religion. I guess it was close enough to Presbyterian to confuse me. I even raised my hand in class (3rd grade?) when the teacher asked us to name religions. Some time later, when I learned what pedestrian means I was retrospectively thankful that I wasn't called on. Dodged a bullet!
There was a "This American Life" episode on the topic (things you find out way late in life) that was excellent. One woman said she only learned as an adult that unicorns never existed. She thought they existed once but became extinct. She made some comment about them at work and everyone got quiet. Her defense was they are no more weird than zebras -- and zebras exist. I can see it.
What sort of god would a pedestrian worship? A foot god?
Most people seem to have liked this theme more than I did, so I'm trying to figure out why I didn't. The thing is, each individual answer is a witty interpretation of its own clue, and fun to get. But putting them altogether doesn't really add anything.
Also, I'd forgotten to login when I posted before; it's the @anon comment that omits FINISH LINES from its theme discussion.
I grew up in a Broadway show tune household in the 50's/60's, and for most of my childhood I believed that one of Julie Andrews "favorite things" was "monkeys that fly with the moon on their wings." Perhaps I was influenced by the hench-apes of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Both! For example, on my refrigerator a MAGNET from SF MOMA does double duty - reminding me of my San Francisco visit and holding a souvenir postcard from the Pergamon Museum in Berlin
I thought the theme for today’s puzzle was very clever. I also despise both ALITO and OMAR.
Until this year, I always thought the fruit (orange) was named after the color. Turns out, the color was named after the fruit!
Words, words, words - nice theme for a crossword :) I liked the puzzle a lot - easy, yes, but fun to solve with its clever theme. I loved seeing WEASEL WORDS, and am glad that those who weren't familiar with the expression can now add it to their LANGUAGE trove.
Until I went to college, I thought the three major religious options in the U.S. were Lutheran, Catholic, and Jewish.
Do-over: for the final theme answer, a stab at "Street"...something. Help from previous puzzles: SAL.
Me, too, on pedestrians. Asked my mother why only pedestrians could walk in certain areas and not us.
What a nice Tuesday theme! My favorits was WEASEL WORDS. (I see it is causing discussion today but I was familiar with it.) I was hung-up on the end of that phrase, with WEASEL in place, because I didn't use the theme to come up with it. Finally, SWINE put WORDS in my (mouth) grid.
I totally misread the Italian in 10D's clue, thinking it read "Como" and thought the phrase might mean "with or without" and was wondering if it involved being invited to add whipped cream or not. Now I see it is "Cone or cup", har.
Thanks, Rena Cohen!
I agree with Lewis and Hugh re the themes. I thought it very fun seeing the phrases interpreted literally. "Weasel words " wa les amusing to me than the rest because it wa a much less familiar expression. Fun Tuesday puzzle.
Hands up for thinking ON MESSAGE was a themer -- because MESSAGE + PHRASES + WORDS + LINES + LANGUAGE is totally consistent -- and wondering what the heck was up with the symmetrical CARGO SHIP. Kind of careless editing.
And too many brand names: AVEENO REESES EDSEL XACTOS IMAC DUNKIN.
I didn't know WEASEL WORDS & didn't AVEENO just make an appearance?
A solid Tuesday but more importantly, LOVED IDA'S PIC :)
Was thinking the same thing at 56D ISEE for Oh, OK. Just too vague. Could mean lots of things, depending on tone of voice, etc. My first thought was, "If you say so, pal."
The city of Berlin was entirely within East Germany. The Wall separated the American and Soviet zones.
Nancy, my fridge door was also pristine for many years. I was appalled at the unsightly messes on my friends' fridge doors and decreed that we would never do that in our house. Then we had a grandson. Now his smiling face greets us every morning when we reach for milk for the coffee and tea. I still don't want a fridge door that is a poster board but I've backed off and amended the total ban to allow 2 photos and a grocery list. The older I get, the more I compromise.
I guess today I learned XACTO isn't EXACTO
I missed the day you announced your puzzle, and just happened to be over there and saw your name. Pleasant surprise and quality puzzle as usual!
She knows now, and was just relating a story from yore.
Berlin was well within the interior of East Germany. The wall went around the entirety or West Berlin. https://images.app.goo.gl/6zcgGeT6LL2tuRXW8
@Anon9:56am
West Berlin was an exclave located totally within East Germany, not on the border of the two countries. The Berlin Wall completely encircled West Berlin.
WEASELWORDS was unfamiliar to m&e, but otherwise I thought the puztheme was kinda neat. Perhaps one more "weasel" of the ALITO persuasion woulda helped m&e get it.
staff weeject pick: PAW. Got to learn all about toe beans. Nice pic from @RP on that subject, btw. Still like his recent BANDEAU pic even better, tho.
And great weeject stacks, NW & SE, too boot.
Some primo debut entries, today -- includin: DUNKIN. WINCESAT. BESTPAL. ONMESSAGE. XACTOS.
Another fave: That there AWGEE sequel.
Thanx for the the catchy, weaselly words, Ms. Cohen darlin. Nice job.
Masked & Anonymo5Us
... awgeez, a sequel runt ...
"Heading South and On a Ride" - 7x7 12 min. themed runt puzzle:
**gruntz**
M&A
Fun and breezy downs-only Tuesday. Thought the theme was interesting because, you know, language.
Some notes and nits, though:
- Why is IMAC 6D clued as all-in-one?
- 56D clue for ISEE was just too vague. 63D HUH was somewhat stronger.
- The clue for THECHASE 4D was way too long. Could have been as simple as "You might cut to it".
- 24D ERASER. I dropped in cheese, as in the old Brit expression, "they're as alike as chalk and cheese. Oof!
- 28D SWINE. Was that supposed to be some sort of misdirect leading me think about gullible voters? Worked for a few minutes. Made me think, and I liked it.
- And on the AWGEE/Oh, gee thing I use the AW one when confronted with cutesiness and the OH version when I'm confronted with something that befuddles me, which happens more often than I would like to admit.
I was in my thirties before I learned that the cap on deodorant could be easily removed by twisting the dial that advances the deodorant upward. Before then, I’d grumble while using my teeth to pry it off.
Sorry, WEASEL WORDS didnt work for me. I never have heard this phrase. 65 years old, NYCer
Three grandchildren here which means we have an art gallery on the front of a cold storage unit.
No. Immaculate Conception refers to Mary being born without Original Sin, not the Virgin Birth.
I had WINCESAS, SHAD (for THAW), and PAD (for PAW) in the SE for longer than I'd really like to admit, for a perfect mix of missing the obvious and choosing the abstruse all at the same time. On the other hand, they are all kind of valid answers for the clues, so sort of an alternative valid solution? (okay, winces AS is really pushing it)
I started to put OHGEE, but then I couldn't imagine them stooping so low as to duplicating the OH in OHWELL, so I switched it fast.
Eres demasiado amable.
WEASEL WORDS is how most people describe my blog entries. And speaking of, I received the axe again on Monday. In looking over my submission, I can't see any reason, unless the RIB-LINT MAIDEN uniclue was a bit too horizontal. Nevertheless, I try again.
Today's puzzle was a yawn city. And a gunk-fest to boot.
FAE became FEY.
People: 10 {It's Tuesday people.}
Places: 1
Products: 8
Partials: 6
Foreignisms: 4
--
Gary's Grid Gunk Gauge: 29 of 76 (38%)
Funnyisms: 1 🤨
Tee-Hee: [Action film climax].
Uniclues:
1 Ambulance driver arriving in a single bound.
2 Street I ambled down in completing my novel.
3 Harvest organs for fun and profit.
4 How a notable Lady described her chalkboard music fashion.
5 To drink until the single ladies weren't scary anymore.
6 One shape to rule them all.
7 Reaction on learning we weren't getting DQ.
1 ONE HOP EMT
2 WEASEL WORDS AVE.
3 USE XACTOS
4 I AM ERASER GAGA
5 BEST PAL IDEA
6 HEAD HEXAGON
7 WINCES AT GELATO (~)
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: Custodial staff protesting a shortage of gardening implements. RAKE SIT-IN MAIDS.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Did any one else like the cross of cross (30down)words(35across)?
I did!
Thank you for posting Why Me Lord. I had forgotten about that song and I’m glad to be reminded!
Rex teaches English and doesn't care about fairies and elves? Hi, a Mr. Yeats is on line one...
Yes, because teaching English means caring about literally everything that has ever been written in English 🙄
This is AVEENO’s third this month! 5/1 and 5/4—I only remembered that because on 5/4 Rex pointed out that it had already appeared twice this month after a three-year hiatus.
My students are often surprised that I as an English professor struggle with spelling, as if I wrote a dissertation on how to spell words or as if my comps were a spelling bee. On the contrary, I study the Renaissance so I can imagine a world where spelling doesn’t matter.
Rex is welcome not to be interested in fairies and elves, even if I love ‘em!
@Gary J: Nunca demasiado amable, solo sincero.
PPS @GJ I am still thinking of and chuckling about your description of the uniclue/answer for RIB LINT and MAIDEN being “too horizontal. 🤣
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