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Relative difficulty: Easy (solved Downs-only)
Theme answers:
- NUDIST CAMP (17A: Getaway where guests are out of fashion?)
- NEUTRAL ZONE (25A: Demilitarized space between antagonists)
- NUISANCE TAX (51A: Annoying fee added to a price)
- NOODLE SOUP (59A: Ramen or pho)
- (derogatory) A tax imposed as a percentage of the selling price of goods or services, payable by the customer and transmitted by the seller to the taxing authority; a sales tax. (thefreedictionary.com)
• • •
The preponderance of short stuff was advantageous to me, as a Downs-only solver. Generally speaking, the shorter the answer is, the easier it is to get with no help from crosses. I ran BIN EDU ROD and GLIB one after the other, no hesitation, which put me in great position to guess my first themer:
My Downs-only struggles were few today. I don't really know the difference between SATEEN and satin, which is to say I don't really know what SATEEN is, but since SATIN wouldn't fit at 5D: Lustrous sheet material, I figured it must be SATEEN. This resulted in an answer that started BOE- in one of the crosses, which initially set off alarms in my head, but then the "S" went into the end of that same answer and I remembered that BOERS exist, so in went the "R," in went ACCRUE, and on I went. I wasn't entirely sure about ACCRUE at first because I wasn't sure how the term "interest" was being used in the clue (6D: Build up, as interest). I was thinking maybe you were building up interest in something in the sense of hyping it. But no, interest was simply building up in a savings or money market or what-have-you account. Wanted YAKKED (sp!?) before TALKED, as TALKED seemed too plain an answer for [Gabbed], which seems to imply a certain chattiness as well as a certain ... gossipiness or excess or something. I also wasn't sure how to take [Dispatches] at 52-Down. I thought maybe KILLS was the answer, but thankfully at that point I knew that that theme answer down there was going to start with a "new" sound, which got me NUISANCE TAX, which got me out of my [Dispatches] conundrum (it's SENDS). In keeping with the theme of "how is this word being used?," I sincerely thought that 36D: Spot to tie the knot (ALTAR) was going to have something to do with a necktie. Alas, NECK wouldn't fit. Maybe I thought the clue said "a knot," not "the knot." At any rate, none of these minor misunderstandings held me back for very long today. I don't time myself anymore, but I feel like if I did, today's would've been one of my fastest Downs-only solves ever.
Bullets:
- 23D: Indicator of a half-price deal (BOGO) — Buy One, Get One. Common retail parlance.
- 50D: Shaft on which a wheel turns (AXLE) — I taught myself the difference between AXLE and AXEL in the most ridiculously gendered way possible. That is, guys are into cars, and women are into ice skating, and since guys are generally bigger than women, the one with "XL" in it is the car one, and the other is the ice skating one, and no I don't care that my "logic" is based on all kinds of false suppositions. It works for my brain, and that's all that matters.
- 1A: RMS Titanic's undoer (BERG) — never really liked this term. In fact, never heard of this ICE-less BERG until I started doing crosswords. Maybe ICEBERG is redundant? Are there other types of BERG? I guess a mountain or a hill can be a BERG (it's literally "mountain" in German). ICEBERG is such a nice-sounding word, whereas BERG just kinda lies there like a lump. Blargh.
OK, that's enough for today. Happy September! Happy Labor Day! See you next time.
[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook and Letterboxd]
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Nice puzzle, average Monday difficulty. Didn't notice the theme until I was done. For the record, another word beginning with a "new" sound would be "nuance."
ReplyDeleteNo, that’s the same “nu” sound as in “nudist”—the “a” in “nuance” introduces a new sound, in a way that the “i” in “nuisance” does not
DeleteI do not understand why "so what else is new" is sarcastic. Would someone please explain?
Delete"So what else is new" is typically asked in a sarcastic manner, when the asker wants to imply that this (usually bad) news is to be expected, and not at all new.
DeleteExample:
Excited activist: "There's an article in the paper today where Trump tells some horrible lies about immigrants!"
Weary hopeless person: "So what else is new?"
Now make you own example!
doghairstew
DeleteYou gave a perfect example for what else is new response
I say that to myself every time I look at the front page of the Times dead tree edition!
Anonymous @ 6:05 - I disagree. The "a" in "nuance" (ah sound) goes with the second syllable. The "nu" is definitely pronounced "new." Bob Mills's example was fine.
Delete@JT what are you talking about? You just _agreed_ w/ @Anon6;05, which means Bob’s example was bad (ie it’s not a different “new” sound)
DeleteHow about newb
DeleteDog hair stew. Thank you for the clarification.
DeleteDon't discourage Bob, guys, he's doing great. Let's come up with some more examples together! I thought of NEUTRON!
DeleteMy five favorite original clues from last week
ReplyDelete(in order of appearance):
1. They might have their noses turned up (9)
2. Places where it's OK to push someone at school (5)(4)
3. Heat setting, perhaps (4)
4. Kick-starter program? (6)(7)
5. Device for cutting bangs? (8)
AIRPLANES
SWING SETS
MEET
KARATE LESSONS
SILENCER
My five favorite original clues from last week
ReplyDelete(in order of appearance):
1. They might have their noses turned up (9)
2. Places where it's OK to push someone at school (5)(4)
3. Heat setting, perhaps (4)
4. Kick-starter program? (6)(7)
5. Device for cutting bangs? (8)
AIRPLANES
SWING SETS
MEET
KARATE LESSONS
SILENCER
My favorite encore clues from last week:
ReplyDelete[R as in Rolls-Royce?] (7)
[Guide for writing a perfect letter] (7)
REVERSE
STENCIL
A lovely, elegant Monday. And a huge thank you for the much needed AXEL/AXLE mnemonic device, gendered or not. I always screw it up.
ReplyDeleteYes, thank you for the pneumonic. I find little things like that to be very helpful.
DeleteA long time ago when I was a young man, I used to misspell “vegetable“ as “vegitable”. A friend pointed out — it was shortly after the movie came out about the Extraterrestrial — to remember that “E.T.“ was always in vegetable. I never misspelled it again.
But now I have to check “Spell-check’s” spelling of my writing. Meant “mnemonic”!
DeleteInterestingly, some dictionaries do include a “noo” pronunciation for the first syllable of “pneumonia”!
DeleteUnrelated to that, but to the puzzle: a lot of people don’t pronounce “new” the same as “gnu.” Some pronounce it as “nyoo,” including some Americans.
not for the first time, the wordle answer is in the crossword — almost as exciting as when it’s inexplicably excluded from the word list for that day’s spelling bee.
ReplyDeleteA perfect example the simplicity of true elegance - like the little black dress.
ReplyDeleteNice!
DeleteLoved the A’s tumbling down the middle—ACELA, AETNA, ALEXA, ANNIE…a rare day when I didn’t have to look up at least one PPP. Good humored puzzle and easy—what’s not to like?
ReplyDeleteGnu?
ReplyDeleteLove it. Also, I disagree with Rex on Nougat. I don’t pronounce it with a new sound at the beginning. More like the u sound in push.
DeleteYou can disagree all you want. Look it up.
DeleteAnonymous 8:07AM
DeleteIf one individual pronounces a word differently from the constructor or in this case Rex does not make the answer or suggested answer wrong. Also your pronunciation is definitely in the minority. I pronounce AUNT differently from most Americans but I would never say a theme answer based on a the standard pronunciation is wrong.
Anonymous 9:37
But it doesn’t mean that he or she is pronouncing nougat “wrong “. just not like the majority.
In Brit accents the noodle new sound is different from the nuisance sound. Sweet elegant puzzle.
DeleteSlick and well built - early week appropriate. Liked all the themers - apt revealer spanning the center was top notch.
ReplyDeleteSqueeze
Does Gnu Migration work? The grid forces a bunch of 3s and 4s but they are clean enough BIN, EDU, ROD + OUI, URN, PEA don’t really cause any issues. SN stalwart BLINI shows up.
Big Time ANNIE’s Square
Enjoyable Labor Day Monday morning solve.
Ladies of the Canyon
Unusual to hit a WOE on a Monday, but I had never seen BOGO before and stared at it quite a while before completing my downs-mostly solve. Thanks for the Monday fun, Lynn Lempel!
ReplyDeleteThis is the fourth appearance of BOGO since 2022. It also appeared once in 1949 as a “Philippine tree” lol
DeleteThe things you never notice! On top of that, just now I was clearing out my spam folder, and what term did I see in a subject line? Yup. Must be the universe telling me to buy something on sale. Or maybe not . . .
DeleteBOGO was also unknown to me, I think I’ve always seen the phrase spelled out. Otherwise an easy, fun puzzle.
DeleteThe universe is telling you to buy 2 things:) - I also had that as my one WOE, although the phrase followed by “free” is inescapable. Also maxes out at %50 off if you buy identically priced items. Don’t try to shop today…
DeleteAnonymous (7:45 am). I happen to have two of those trees in my yard. Purchased them years ago on sale at a local nursery - two for the price of one.
DeleteBOGO without the "free" annoys me. Because when you buy one (you always) get one. Without "free" it should be BOGT(wo). And you kids GOML (GetOffMyLawn), end rant
DeleteHow about BOGAO? Buy one get another one?
DeleteLynn’s puzzles are liltingly smooth, with an elegant feel, and filled with lovely touches in answer and clue. They’ve always been, and she’s been making NYT puzzles for 46 years. Mondays are her specialty, making up almost three-quarters of her 103 puzzles.
ReplyDeleteStandouts today:
• Alliteration in clues – [Ticker in a taxi], [Flexible Flyer, for one], [“Bald” birds].
• Echoes in SATEEN / TEEN, and ACCRUE, RUES.
• Bouncy trochaic trio of BOGO, YOYOS, and ONO. And that “double-O” vibe serendipitously recalls yesterday’s JAMES BOND puzzle.
The themes that come out of LL’s bean are catchy and fun. What a marvelous revealer today.
I see your name atop a puzzle, Lynn, and I know I’m going to leave it feeling warm, entertained, and richer for having experienced a brush with beauty. As I was today. Thank you!
LL’sBean - nice one! You can return any puzzle at any time, no questions asked for a full refund.
Delete@burtonkd That refund policy is long gone. As LL Bean expanded nationwide beyond New England and became a big online retailer, way too many folks started abusing the policy. LL Bean tried many modifications at first to address the abuse, but now limits the no-questions-asked return policy (with some restrictions) to one year. After one year, if you claim a manufacturing defect, they will consider a full refund/exchange on a case-by-case basis.
DeleteThe other major change: after 100 years or so of the Freeport, ME, headquarters store being open 24 hours a day, its hours have been reduced to 7:00m to 11:00pm - making it damn inconvenient for me to make my returns!!
Products purchased before February 9, 2018, when the policy was changed, are not subject to the one year time limit. I have an LL Bean backpack purchased is 2002 that i just threw in the washing machine, and it came out looking brand new - no fading, no tears, no broken stitching - so I can't imagine ever wanting to return it for a replacement (though I can).
DeleteSadly, the books I neglected to remove from the backpack did not fare nearly as well.
My downs-only was foiled by BOGO. I recognize it after the fact, but I feel like I tried every possible combo for the consonants and didn’t see it. Had to peek at across clues.
ReplyDeleteDouble Naticked on LAPAZ and BLINI crossing BATIK. I'm not really up to speed on Russian pancakes.
ReplyDeleteHey All!
ReplyDeleteIt's all NEWs to me ...
Fun puz. Quick, with good fill. Missing J, Q and V for the Pangram.
Nice to see Lynn again. She keeps cranking out the puzs (and gets them accepted).
Not very verbose this morning, so I'll just blow all you YOYOS a KISS. 😁
Happy Monday.
One F
RooMonster
DarrinV
I don’t remember ever seeing Rex so enamored on a Monday - probably with good reason today, as the puzzle does shine. Nice job by Ms. Lempel.
ReplyDeleteI had a couple of pauses here and there - I never saw BATIK before, and suspected LAPAZ, but wasn’t sure of the spelling - fortunately I guessed the A correctly as the cross. I also forgot that SATEEN is a thing, but trusted BOERS as the cross, so ultimately good there.
My last hiccup was MUESLI - which I never associate with anything edible - I must have a mental block, because to me it sounds like something you would find underneath a rock.
Southside Johnny
DeleteMUESLI
An ad ad got imbedded in my brain from television long ago. The product was I think called Mueslix based on muesli They used an Alpine horn for Swiss atmosphere.FWIW muesli was invented by a Swiss doctor/health guru , like the Americans, Post and Kellogg, who were also his contemporaries. Muesli means mush or purée in Swiss German
Never had it!
First time in months enjoyed a Monday. Solved downs only but for some reason I was convinced boers was spelled bohrs and have no idea why.
ReplyDeleteNiels BOHR was a Nobel Prize winning physicist. He’s not quite the Teri GARR off physics, but he does show up in grids enough that you may recognize the spelling.
Delete@SouthsideJohnny "Niels BOHR was a Nobel Prize winning physicist. He’s not quite the Teri GARR off [sic] physics" -- what on earth are you talking about? What does this even mean?
DeleteNeils Bohr was not even born during the first Boer War, thought he would have been 15-16 yo during the second Boer War, and so could have fought in that war. But he was Danish, not of Dutch descent, so it is highly unlikely. He was also quite a sophisticated, amiable, and respectful man; not at all a boor. Born in Copenhagen to an academic family, his interests included playing football as a goalkeeper and the study of physics and math, so it is unlikely that he or his family owned a boar. As an professor and researcher in theoretical physics, he was a dynamic teacher. did breakthrough research in the study of atoms and quantum theory, and mentored and taught students who would later become giants in their own right, so he was anything but a bore.
DeleteAnd that is everything I know.
Really fine Monday. My only nit is that the revealer was in the middle, which gave it all away too soon. Noticed the NEW thing early and confirmation of the theme appeared. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI have heard the term NUISANCETAX somewhere before. In NH I would call the property tax a NUISANCETAX, as it pays for everything, even though we always say we have no taxes.
If OFL wants another BERG, constructors could go with Moe ____, major league catcher and WWII spy.
This is what I call a Lovely Lattice of a Monday, LL. Only WIE was NOAH, and thanks for all the fun.
In addition to Moe there’s Alban BERG. You’d think he would turn up in puzzles more often, seeing as how his music is ATONAL.
DeleteI finished it downs only — a rare achievement — so I loved it. Lynn Lempel is always so smooth and fun, and she seems to effortlessly avoid junk fill, but I’m sure there’s a lot of work and art behind that.
ReplyDeleteEntonces, ¿qué más hay de nuevo?
ReplyDeleteNoogies and nooners in the noobosphere. Not a single funny moment again.
Probably a good day to revisit how Noo-Englanders pronounce things and nothing rhymes except orange.
Does it seem like the puzzles are getting easier since Saturday? 😉 The world is going to the noobs.
People: 5
Places: 2
Products: 10 {yech}
Partials: 3
Foreignisms: 1
--
Gary's Grid Gunk Gauge: 21 of 78 (27%)
Funny Factor: 0 😫
Tee-Hee: NUDIST CAMP.
Uniclues:
1 What I bring to the woods in addition to my smile.
2 Locale for a digital assistant's cabaret show.
3 Distance one can run listening to you play before yanking the horn from your hands and pounding it against a rock.
4 Where my performing arts degree was sacrificed.
1 NUDIST CAMP PALL
2 ALEXA POLE
3 BUGLE METER (~)
4 SONG ALTAR
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: Surprising fashion choice by baseball ace. STAR PITCHER'S FAKE NAILS.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Gary Jugert
DeleteProbably a good day to revisit how New Englanders pronounce things and nothing rhymes except orange
I always like reading your comments but I couldn’t parse that sentence.
As a New Englander, I could go on at length about the many local accents here which vary significantly, but I won’t!
@dgd 1:06 PM
DeleteHa! Well, I too often wonder what the heck is coming out of my brain. Lots of times when we're talking homophones and rhymes, a New Englander says it's pronounced very differently than the puzzle suggests, and as a westerner I'm usually surprised to hear the regional variations of word sounds. I figured we'd be talking today how NU-, NEU-, NUI-, NOO-, NOU-, and NEW are all pronounced differently in BAHSTIN (Boston). It all seems like it should be pronounced the same to me. Then I thought of ORANGE sounding like no other word, but it probably rhymes with everything in Boston ... (s'posed to be funny).
@Gary Jugert. FWIW, I liked the orange rhyming thing. You're almost always funny. Thanks a zillion.
DeleteAgree with @egs. Well maybe just a million or two ...
DeleteSmooth and easy, ripped right through in close to record time.
ReplyDeleteThe GNU KNEW NEW NEWS.
Thanks for the fun!
Well-crafted puzzle with no junk and few names. I got SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW off just the SOW. After NUDIST and NEUTRAL, I predicted NOODLE but not NUISANCE. I have no idea what BOGO is, but everything else was very easy. Not especially exciting, but definitely the work of an experienced Monday specialist.
ReplyDeleteRex explained BOGO: Buy One Get One (free usually or half off). I don’t remember seeing the acronym, but apparently it’s been in the puzzle 4 times in the last few years. I promise I’ll remember next time.
DeleteI take it you’re feeling better. Not up to your average verbosity yet, but tone is back.
A whooshy puzzle from a PRO. You can't ask for anything more.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lynn for reminding me of the old solving days when gimmicks were fun to figure out & not - as is so often lately - a pain in the ***. You should give classes to the new generation of NYT puzzle constructors :)
Just returned from the Joisy Shore in Cape May after two weeks and I missed this community! But what a way to return! Agree with all that @Rex said. Again, the art of making a Monday difficulty level puzzle not only interesting but charming and smile-inducing was on full display today, A simple theme executing beautifully.
ReplyDeleteThe spanner revealer looks very pretty right there in the middle and all the themers were fun to parse.
I admittedly Naticked on the LAPAZ/BATIK crossing but guessed right so no real hold-ups for me. I'm familiar with BOGO and NUISANCETAX so those fell fairly easily. The short stuff, which may have seemed stale in less elegant puzzles, all kinda popped for me with this one - ONO crossing with YOYO, BOGO, etc... it all shined today.
Thanks @Rex for the AXLE/AXEL hack! That will serve me well going forward. And thank you Lynn for a great ride!
NUISANCE TAX = Trump’s tariffs.
ReplyDeleteIf you owned a porker who fashioned himself as sixth in a line of Spanish royalty named after their headgear, and he obtained something like a set of wheels, would you cal it.
ReplyDeletePig cap the sixth's latest vehicle.
Or
SOWHATELSEISNEWcar.
The SE corner might be a good place to urinate with OUI URN PEA.
If AC/DC merged with Motley CRÜE the benefits would ACCRÜE.
By coincidence, we are working with a company called Niue on cabinet fronts for a kitchen redo. When we first ran across them on line, we laughed about the possible pronunciations of the name. Then when we called the, it was "Thank you for calling New." Who knew? I guess there's nothing new under the sun, especially at NUDISTCAMP.
I actually went through D.O. and filled all but MUESLI in first try. At which point, it was obvious. But, that said, I enjoyed this puzzle a lot. Thanks, Lynn Lempel.
Easy, no erasures and no WOEs.
ReplyDeleteSmooth and clever and amusing, liked it a bunch! An excellent Monday from a pro!
Croce Solvers - Croce’s Freestyle #1041 was a medium Croce for me. Parts of the center stack and the SE gave me the most resistance. Good luck!
Can I ask a stupid question? Does solving downs-only literally mean that you fail if you don't solve the entire puzzle that way? I did see rex put in the first themer before being done-- just curious!
ReplyDeleteIt's really "down clues only." You only read the clues for the downs, and guess the across answers from the letters in the crosses. So in the screen shot, Rex had NUDI and guessed NUDIST CAMP.
DeleteNot that easy for my Monday but I enjoyed guessing the theme early on.
ReplyDeleteA nicely nu-anced Lynn Lempel MonPuz. Liked.
ReplyDeleteSmoooth fillins -- all were knew-knews, except maybe for BOGO.
staff weeject pick: GNU. The missin beast in the room.
fave moo-cow eazy-E MonPuz clue: {Expose at a costume party} = UNMASK.
another fave thing: NUDISTCAMP clue. Made M&A wonder, what a cool answer to {Expose at a nudist camp} would be.
Thanx for the nufun, Ms. Lempel darlin. Great job, as always.
Masked & Anonymo8Us
... and now, extremely glad to present this pup ...
"Going To Extremes" - 7x7 12 min. themed runt puzzle:
**gruntz**
M&A
I got NUDIST CAMP and NEUTRAL ZONE, and KNEW that we were dealing with NEW ways to spell the same sound (I thought that might be the revealer, clued as "Controller for comptroller," for example). But NOODLE SOUP is fine (unless you're into cryptic puzzles, in which SOUP would indicate an anagram).
ReplyDeleteA NUISANCE TAX would be a tax on barking dogs, or garbage piles in one's yard; the word the puzzle wanted was NUISANCE FEE, such as resort fees in hotels, or service fees on online ticket sales.
Also, what's so new about a SOW HAT? (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
I was happy to see my name right there in the top left, but not tht fond of the clue. How about "Obscure academic in the Northeast?"
The above comment was from me, not signed in. Embarrassingly, I had confused the revealer for one of the theme answer, and thought NOODEL SOUP was the revealer. My confusion was due to their placement in the grid-- I got them in order from top to bottom, and figured the last one would be the revealer. It sort of worked (see my comment above), and I just never noticed that the themers all started with NU. Doh! (Or is it D'oh?) And now Rex is comparing me to a lump, just lying there. Not my day.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNOODLES and BUGLES and BOERS and NUISANCES and KISSes and YOYOs and PALLs and EAGLES. Fun, swooshy Monday. Nothing too GLIB, Nothing to RUE. I liked it! (SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW?)
ReplyDeleteI was happy to see Lynn Lempel's name at the top, remembering her masterful Mondays, just-right easy but with more than the usual number of fresh entries and with a sense of humor. Like today.
ReplyDeleteAfter NUDIST and NEUTRAL, I looked forward to seeing how the other "new" sounds would be spelled. I left the reveal space empty (except for the initial S, which I had from the crossing ACES) to see if I could guess it later and went on to NOODLE and NUISANCE. After that, the starting S and an expected NEW were enough to suggest the central question. Fun to see in the comments the potential answers. Also fun to write in SATEEN, BATIK, MUESLI, EBONY, BUGLE, SEA SALT. It seemed to me as though we hadn't seen a Lynn Lempel Monday for a while; I hope she'll be back soon.
I like it when Rex and commenters remind me of constructors with good track records here, I often forget the names. This is a very good puzzle.
ReplyDeleteInteresting how many had trouble with LA PAZ. Some even referred to it as part of a natick with BATiK.
Rex’s definition of natick, a word he invented, is two obscure proper nouns crossing at an uninferable letter. Obscure meaning unknown by most people. La Paz is way too well known to qualify (also batik has been in the Times more than once) But commenters here have developed a new meaning of natick When the SOLVER doesn’t know either proper noun. But I think the term personal natick is more accurate. And a personal natick shouldn’t be used as a criticism of a constructor or the editors, unless most people have the same problem. Also if you “guess” right, maybe it’s not even a personal natick because the letter was in the recesses of your brain.
wonderful puzzle. For Rex and anyone else wondering about other bergs, may I interest you in an NPR web story headlined “Behold the Fatberg”? https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/12/550465000/behold-the-fatberg-london-s-130-ton-rock-solid-sewer-blockage
ReplyDeleteI wasn’t even going to comment on this one because it seemed so simple (and I do Mondays downs-only and type like I’m wearing mitts) and I finished it in what seemed like 10 minutes. (Check actual time., which I don’t usually do. 11:42.) But I knew that if I stopped in to say that I didn’t really like the puzzle I would run up against the happy gang from the Lynn Lempel fan club.
ReplyDeleteSo I went to the archives and did another Lempel Monday (summer 2020) and found it much more engaging, tougher, more satisfying, and it pleasantly occupied 19 minutes. More what I expect of a downs-only solve.
So either I was twice as smart today as I was 3 years ago or this puzzle was just too easy. Solid, clean, as noted, and the revealer was great and the theme answers were all good but there was just no resistance.
Then, because I still didn’t feel like I had been sufficiently challenged, I opened the New Yorker Monday offering expecting to find something really difficult by Shechtman, Husic, or maybe Liu, but today’s was constructed by another member of the holy trinity of female NYT constructors (Lempel, Weintraub, Gorski) noted for their clean and elegant work. And it was the best Gorski I can remember doing in a long time. I feel better now. Might go looking in the archives for a Weintraub.
That was supposed to be 5 years ago. See what I mean by "typing with mitts on"?
DeleteI enjoyed this puzzle. Agree with Rex about BERG. Does anyone not solving a crossword puzzle ever call an iceberg a berg?
ReplyDelete@Anon, Lewis. Yeah, those were my favorite clues, too. I especially liked 5.
ReplyDeleteWanted Sucre before La Paz for 10D. The latter is the administrative center, technically not the capital.
ReplyDeleteAlso, among physicists, the answer to “what’s new?” is “E / h”. It’s actually nu, the Greek letter standing for frequency in the Planck Relation. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planck_relation
Rex's rant re "berg" made me smile because I'd never before thought about whether or not "berg" without the ice existed outside of crosswords.
ReplyDeleteIt had slowed me a second at the start because it could have been "floe". I do across and down all days so 1D "bin" quickly cleared that up.
interesting - nobody is calling out Boers and Spotify both hugely responsible for the theft of others physical and intellectual property interesting in how favoritism plays into all this... love Lynn all the same
ReplyDeleteDid Rex wake up on the right side of the bed this morning? Showing love for a Monday? Who are you and what did you do with Rex?
ReplyDeleteThere is an immutable rule that you MUST love Lynn Lempel Monday puzzles - not because of any coercion, group think, bribery or any other social pressure. You must love her Monday puzzles because she is genuinely that good, and that good consistently.
Deletelet REX be REX he's doin the hard work! ny times has so many problems trying to cater to everyone ethical intellectual quagmire wish we could discuss other xwords or merit not just nytimes
ReplyDeleteFor all the pronunciation debaters, the New York Times has a really fun Dialect Quiz (for Americans only, sadly) that will analyze where you are from based on what words are or are not "pronounced the same" (for example, Mary, merry and marry) as what you call certain things (for example, that grassy space in between sides of the road). It's a good time.
ReplyDeleteWow, am I ever the outlier today. Although I agree that the puzzle is very well made, I thought the theme was absolutely terrible. Nobody answers "so what else is new" with 'nu' or 'neu' or any of the others. Complete failure of a theme, I thought while solving. Rex will hate this, thought I.
ReplyDelete