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Relative difficulty: Easy
Theme answers:
- SITTING PRETTY (20A: Comfortably well-off)
- LUCKY CHARMS (32A: Cereal with "marbits" and a leprechaun mascot)
- SILLY STRING (42A: Toy that comes out of a spray can)
Marbit refers to a bit of dried marshmallow that is often pressed into a colorful shape and included in some sweetened breakfast cereals. (merriam-webster.com)
• • •
So there's a predictive search preference for "dog," but not much of one. I've certainly heard "lucky duck," and its currency is attested all over the place, so there's no actual problem here. Curiously, both LUCKY DOG and LUCKY DUCK are brands of beer ...
[Why are the mascots of kids' cereals so often (well, at least twice) antagonists? I mean, Tony the Tiger is a coked-up people pleaser who's happy to push Frosted Flakes on anyone who'll listen (yeah, "they're grrrreat," Tony, we get it), but Lucky here tries to thwart the kids' pursuit of their morning sugar high, and the Trix Rabbit ... well, he's not really trying to deprive the kids, he just keeps committing fraud in order to get Trix because he's jonesing so hard, but then the kids thwart him by discovering he's a rabbit and lecturing him about species-appropriate behavior. I want a mascot that puts these damn kids in their place. "You're gonna eat your mush and like it, you obnoxious brats!"]
Solving this one Downs-only resulted in two problem sections, the first much more serious than the second. Up top, I completely whiffed on all of the short Downs from 5 to 8. No idea where the dog was supposed to be napping (5D: Dog-napping spot? = CRATE), thought [Muggy] was MOIST (!), had "C'MON" for 7D: "Let's do it!" ("I'M IN!"), and had both PINE and ACHE before LONG (8D: Yearn (for)). That's a lot of whiffing. And yet, since I had the SIT- and managed to work out the -ETTY, I was able to infer the entirety of the phrase SITTING PRETTY, and that gave me the letters I needed to get HUMID and LONG and the rest of them. The second, less tough trouble spot was in the south, where I had CACTI before AGAVE (48D: Desert plant with many uses), and didn't know if it was supposed to be ZONK or CONK at 54D: Fall asleep, with "out" (CONK). I also found "ASK MOM" very hard to parse (45D: Dad's noncommittal response to a kid's request). I guess referring the questioner to another person is noncommittal, but I really wanted something equivalent to "maybe." But again, being able to infer the long answer (the revealer) made all the problems down there disappear.
Bullet points:
- 33D: Alvin and his back up singers (CHIPMUNKS) — I'm culling my LP collection and one of the records that's going is Christmas with the CHIPMUNKS. It's an appealingly kitschy piece of music history, but I can't imagine voluntarily listening to that much chipmunk voice. Novelty wears off real quick. The only CHIPMUNKS Christmas song I know well and the only one I care to know (sorry to start playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving ... I'm usually pretty strict about this):
- 9D: Casually talk about one's connections to celebrities (DROP NAMES) — this reminds me of the time that Anne Hatha- ... sorry, I mean: this is definitely a real phrase and yet has been supplanted, largely (at least in my vocabulary), by the verb "namedrop."
- 3D: Flabbergasted (GOBSMACKED) — the big winner of the day. Such a pleasure to get this in my NW corner as opposed to the dense assortment of garbage I've been getting of late. The grid occasionally gets a little thick with repeaters (that OER ETNA ENNUI ERS patch, e.g.), but mostly it holds up very well. No wincing today. And GOBSMACKED—mwah!
[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook and Letterboxd]
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Fun, breezy Monday. I've always wondered - I feel like this is about the third ATV in as many days, and is it a conscious editorial decision to reinforce the crosswordese, or just there's only so many AYOs so there's little choice ?
ReplyDeleteVery easy, even for Monday. Never heard of DUCKDUCKGOOSE, but it made for a sensible theme.
ReplyDeleteReally? Never? where are you from?
DeleteA game where small children sit in a circle, whilst one child walks around the circle tapping heads saying, duck. At one point the circling child taps a head and says, “goose.” At that point the designated “goose “ jumps up and chases the tapping child, who tries to get round to the now empty spot. The tapped (goose) child is the new goose. And so it goes until recess is over.
DeleteI was also surprised, but maybe the children's game is less widespread than I thought. In the interest of keeping it constructive: Duck, duck, goose. It does go back a ways.
DeleteI thought it was ubiquitous across American childhood culture as well. My quick googling suggests that it came through Scandinavian immigration and thus its US presence started around the turn of the twentieth century in the Midwest, though it eventually spread across the country.
DeleteAnonymous 9:44 - do you expect an answer? Another gratuitous snarky comment IMO.
DeleteI only know Duck Duck Goose from a game played in knee deep snow with interlocking paths. Don’t remember the rules but it was tag-like and I think we made safe nests in the trail system.
DeleteMy five favorite original clues from last week
ReplyDelete(in order of appearance):
1. Place for a castle (5)
2. Medium for some ephemeral art (5)
3. Boos (7)(4)
4. Foreign exchange? (4)(3)(3)
5. Cab driver? (4)(6)
BEACH
LATTE
SWEETIE PIES
QUID PRO QUO
WINE SELLER
My favorite encore clues from last week:
Delete[It may bring out the kid in you] (8)
[Departed unceremoniously] (6)
CESAREAN
ELOPED
Everything ~RP said.
ReplyDeleteNothing to be gobsmacked about, but cutely silly, professionally crafted, with some colorful Downs and a punny revealer.
As they say in some parts of New Hampshire,
Thanks for all the fun ZZ, Top work!
Ha!!
DeleteYou beat me to it.
DeleteHah, thanks Karl! Maybe when I retire I should open a store called “ZZ’s Tops”! Alrighty, I’ll see myself out…
DeleteIt’s good to see that GOBSMACKED was invited to the party. I’ve always thought that was a cool word.
ReplyDeleteI hadn’t thought about the CHIPMUNKS in years. I know I had their albums back like 60 years ago. Other than the fact that one of them was named Alvin, everything else about them is a distant memory. I probably moved on pretty quickly on to my “Speed Racer” phase - although I don’t recall too much about him either (he had a cool theme song though).
A fun Monday, and a nice write-up this morning by OFL.
Three oopsies slowed me a bit. GOBSTOPPED Instead of SMACKED (because I just watched a Gene Wilder documentary showing Willie Wonka?), NAMEDROPS and SILLYPUTTY. So the downs only solve fell apart for me. Even though I am Duck fan, not sure I’ve ever heard of a lucky duck.
DeleteWhat a Monday should be - easy quick, fun. A sweet reminder of childhood birthday parties playing DUCKDUCKGOOSE, going NUTs with a can of SILLYSTRING, having LUCKYCHARMS at your friend’s house because they were never allowed in your own.
ReplyDeleteBecause, by its very nature (in folklore), a leprechaun is mischievous and elusive. It's what they are. For an "Irish" themed cereal, I suppose you could have a snake as a mascot (as in St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland), but who would buy it?
ReplyDeleteAs for the silly rabbit, his deviousness is a play on the name of the cereal - Trix. I suppose an alternative mascot would be a sex worker turning tricks, but I suspect you would run into some trouble marketing that to kids.
But better to keep these addictive sugar bombs away from kids, anyway.
A great Monday puzzle, btw.
Hey All !
ReplyDeletePretty neat Theme idea. Fun to discover.
This is a rewrite, as I accidentally closed this page on my phone! Phooey.
Liked the puz, nice Themers, plus four nice Long Downs.
Nice to see ENNUI again, it's been a while since last seen.
Nary an F, but if you change SE corner, you could get one.
GOOSE
___PROF
___AIDE
___MEOW
Just sayin'. 😁
Have a great Monday!
No F's
RooMonster
DarrinV
Solving Downs Only, got hung up for a while over GOBSMACKED, a word I use with nearly daily frequency. Tried GOne Mental at first pass. Also, CRATE (Couch wasn't working, so what the HELL is it?). An across had _UMOR but HUMOR there didn't seem to be working. So those were the two really sticky spots for me. The rest wasn't too bad, except that I did have some trouble by wanting to put in the too-short "namedrop", before the obvious rectification occurred to me.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't feel I have time to linger over both a Downs Only solve and review the acrosses and the rest of it post-solve -- the day ahead beckons -- it did look like a nice assemblage of words and phrases. I'll trust that Rex's 3.5. is on the money.
I'll see you all later.
In her notes, Zhou (the constructor) illustrates how crosswords bring ancillary pleasures aside from simply successfully filling in the box.
ReplyDeleteIsn’t that the truth? In her case, it brought her new friendship and bolstered her connection with her best friend.
Crosswords have garnered me new friends as well, but I see its ancillary gifts almost every time I solve a puzzle. It pings sweet memories I haven’t visited in ages, and broadens my knowledge. The cleverness and constructing skill lift my mood. The brain workout enlivens me.
Then I come here and experience wit, new knowledge, wisdom, banter, different takes on the puzzle, and tales from the lives of others – a slice of reality that is ever fresh, every day.
Oh, crosswords are not the meaning of life, but what a sweet supplement, no?
Thank you, Zhou, for a fun solve today, where I had everything from a “Is ‘silly duck’ a common phrase?” moment, to Alvin the Chipmunk’s voice, to coming across a lovely quartet of words (DAPPLE, KNAVE, GOBSMACKED, ENNUI).
You have had three NYT puzzles, all upper-tier, IMO, and I’m hoping for more. Thank you!
Well said, as usual, Lewis. ZZ has had only three NYT puzzles so far? They have all stood out to me as exceptionally good—I assumed she was an old hand whose name I had only recently noticed. May her puzzles keep coming!
Delete@Andy -- I'm guessing you're thinking of Zhouqin Burnikel, who has had 83 NYT puzzles, beginning in 2012 -- a different constructor than today's.
Delete@andy -- I didn't read your comment carefully enough! And I see my comment doesn't really make sense following yours. Yours was perfectly cromulent, and I'm sorry I misread it!
DeleteDown Only, I solved the entire puzzle except 13D, so this is Best Monday Puzzle Ever. Somehow, I got all those short downs that Rex says he initially whiffed on. I could be wrong, but I think Lucky Duck may be something that kids were more likely to say (maybe way back when), and Lucky Dog may be more the adult version. But I definitely hear kids saying Lucky Duck in the deep recesses of my mind — Lucky Dog, not so much.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds right to me—it was definitely “lucky duck” when I was a kid, and if I imagine someone saying “lucky dog,” it would be in an adult voice.
DeleteYeah, "lucky duck" was definitely the common term when I was a kid.
Delete@Anon and Dr Random, exactly what you said... "Lucky dog" was an adult thing.
DeleteI have to seriously question DuckDuckGo as a search engine if the first result for "lucky d" is Lucky Dube. Not that he was not noteworthy, but he's been gone for twenty years now and I'm pretty sure never had a hit in the US.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle.
ReplyDeleteDidn’t the Toucan mascot for Fruit Loops also play around in the same vein as the Leprechaun?
He must have thought Toucan play at this game.
Delete@Liveprof: You get a red card for that AND a five puzzle suspension
DeleteAnon 9:32. You are much kinder than my wife.
DeleteIt was low-hanging fruit, but someone had to grab it.
As long as the DUCK and GOOSE don't end up on the ROTISSERIE tied up with SILLY STRING, we'll all be SITTING PRETTY. What a fun puzzle! And maybe my fastest Monday ever. Easy, breezy, delightful. Thanks, Zhou Zhang!
ReplyDeleteThe family saying here is LUCKYDUCK when referring to the grandchildren who are unabashedly spoiled by us, as in, another sleep over for you, you LUCKYDUCK. Dog wouldn't work so well when referring to children.
ReplyDeleteCRATE had me think of a dognapper putting Fido in one, ICKY. Also had OFL's ZONK before CONK, which led to an unlikely string of letters, Easy fix.
Alvin is famous but let's not forget Simon and Theodore. Alvin would never have made it as a soloist.
Really enjoyed your Monday offering, ZZ. @Karl Grouch has already claimed my ZZ Top reference, so I'll just say Zesty, Zippy, and thanks for all the fun.
My excuses for overstepping;)
DeleteFun puzzle and fun write-up. Had only two write overs as I pecked my way through. Initially entered “tease” for Kid, and “z” for “c” you know where. I thought this was a well-arranged puzzle filled with delightful words and phrases.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this one, but a couple of repeats seemed unnecessary: SKY and SKIED as answers, and “toy” in a clue followed by TOYED as an answer. Seems like lazy editing.
ReplyDeleteNo way that the past participle SKIED of SKI counts as a dupe or repeat of SKY, since SKI and SKY are entirely different words.
DeleteA partial dupe between an answer and a clue to which it is not paired seems less grievous to me. I'm not sure to what extent the rules of yore applied to this situation.
tht
DeleteIt is my opinion that the dupe rules are long gone.
The editors ignore them very often.
Enjoyed doing the puzzle downs only but how is this theme consistent? Have never heard of a ‘sitting goose’ or a ‘lucky goose’, for example. Answers?.
ReplyDelete???? “Duck” goes with the first themer, “Duck” with the second, “goose” with the third. Duck duck goose. It’s perfectly consistent.
DeleteThe first two words worked with ‘Duck’ and the last worked with ‘Goose’ Sitting Duck, Lucky Duck, Silly Goose. Duck Duck Goose. Like the children’s game. Which apparently some people have nog heard of…though it has been around since my very long ago childhood.
DeleteHuh, gray duck didn't fit at the end of 51A.
ReplyDeleteRex is correct about the CHIPMUNKS and how much one can tolerate of that sound - I made it 27 seconds into the video.
Marbits, well, it's true that it's a lot shorter than "marshmallow pieces".
It's "lucky duck" for me - why wouldn't you go for the rhyming pair instead of "lucky dog"?
I love the clue for PRUNE, "It's plum dried out!" I didn't see it while solving, too bad.
Great little Monday puzzle, thanks Zhou Zhang!
Christmas with the Chipmunks was one of the very few records we had when I was a kid. As an adult I found one at Half Price Books. I bought it and I'm keeping it. :) That doesn't mean I listen to it more than once a year...
ReplyDeleteExemplary Monday… I chuckled out loud. And lucky duck was More common than lucky dog when I was a kid
ReplyDeleteI had the same snags as Rex in the north (downs-only): CRATE, HUMID, the PINE/ACHE/LONG conundrum. The bottom half was easier mostly because the long Downs CHIPMUNKS and ROTISSERIE were straightforward. GOBSMACKED required -O-SM- from AXON SITTINGPRETTY RPM (RELIT and PRUNE were easy). I wanted NAMEDROP at 8D, saw that it didn't fit, and was expecting it to be a different kind of ----DROP that was unfamiliar to me. Not the case.
ReplyDeleteEasy & Monday go hand-in-hand. Easy & enjoyable is what the constructor has given us today. Thank you ZZ & hope to see more from you again soon :)
ReplyDeleteBTW - "Dog Napping Spot" is - although it doesn't fit - LAP.
Wasn't gobsmacked by this puzzle but I liked it. Lots of good clues and the themer was very apt. 4 stars easily.
ReplyDeleteMy heart goes out to those unlucky dogs who have to sleep in a CRATE. Let them have the sofa they LONG for.
ReplyDeleteBack in the day, you were really cool if your car had a tachometer to show the RPMs; I guess they are standard equipment now, but I did hesitate a moment before writing it in.
I liked the ICKY/INKY pair, and only yesterday I was reminded at a concert that the nearest EXIT was behind me. And the microscopic "building blocks" mini-theme.
I'm not very horsey, but while I've hear a horse called a DAPPLE gray, I've never heard just DAPPLE. Probably that's just me.
Agree with you on that! I don't know any dog lovers who let their dogs sleep in a crate when their laps or a comfy bed or sofa is near by - just saying from a dog lover/owner :)
DeleteEasy, no WOEs and no costly erasures.
ReplyDeleteNo junk, amusing theme, some fine long downs, liked it a bunch or what @Rex said!
Croce solvers - Croce’s Freestyle #1064 was medium Croce for me with a fun center stack. Good luck!
Agree Croce 1064 was a solid medium. I did wonder about that plural at 37D.
DeleteNice Fine Young Cannibals choice (pun intended)!
ReplyDeleteJoining the love fest on this one, and the write-up was equally fun. Thanks Rex! Curious that it only received 3.5 stars—I know the 5-star ranking is reserved for the rare blowing-out-of-the-water puzzles, but for a Monday, this seems solid 4, everything a Monday should be. But of course, every reviewer is entitled to his or her own star-system.
ReplyDeleteAgree
DeleteI agree completely. A lovely Monday puzzle.
DeleteI agree that Dr. has a good point; two actually...the reviewer (here, RP) is entitled to their evaluation system.
DeleteBut being now in the Eval Era, I'm wondering how/whether a Monday could ever earn five stars. I didn't think today's was five stars good, but would have nodded approvingly had Rex awarded it four.
Thanks to Rex for the spot-on Chipmunk rant. We listened to one verse of The Chipmunk Song (with my wife singing along, no less) before agreeing "ok, that's enough".
Nice starts-with-connections puztheme twist. Liked.
ReplyDeleteOne of them theme mcguffins that I had no idea what it was, til solvin the revealer.
staff weeject pick: They were all fairly respectable. Will go for ATV, since its TV part was crossin TIVO.
honrable mention to: RPM, in honor of 33 & 45 RPM records.
fave moo-cow eazy-E MonPuz clue: {Alvin and his backup singers} = CHIPMUNKS. Pretty sure I've got a 45 RPM by those critters. There was a time when M&A would gather up all kinds of often unknown 45s from used record discount bins. @RP: Talk about needin to cull some stuff ...
some extra encounters of the fave kind: INKY & ICKY. GOBSMACKED. The rare MonPuz ?-marker [but easy-ish] clue for RUMOR.
Thanx for the fun, Ms. Zhang darlin. Nice job.
Masked & Anonym007Us
... and the followin weird thing was *not* done while M&A was on somethin -- no matter what y'all think ...
"Longer Than Snot Across" - 7x7 12 min. kinda real different:
**gruntz**
M&A
What a good Monday all around - the puzzle, @Rex's write-up, and the comments. Besides the endearing theme, I liked the CHILD-focus with SILLY STRING, LUCKY CHARMS, ASK MOM, and the CHIPMUNKS. Also liked GAGA x GOBSMACKED, DAPPLE, KNAVE; averting my eyes from the ROTISSERIE snagging the tail end of the GOOSE.
ReplyDeleteDUCKing in to say I liked ZZ’s puZZle, and of course @Rex’s writeup: the sad clown ad was chuckle-worthy. Ah, the serendipities, the LUCKY finds, of post-solve investigations.
ReplyDeleteDognap (no hyphen!) is on my list of Words to Remember for SB. Next to it I wrote: “is it longer or shorter than a catnap?”
I keep forgetting to forgo viewing the 1A clue so I accidentally cheated there on my first ever completed downs only solve. Found it PRETTY easy but slow to finish, as dredging up ROTISSERIE took about as LONG as the rest combined. I had the R but resisted the OT because ROTating was in the clue.
Going over the across clues after solving, I realized I might have had more trouble in some spots if I had used them. DAPPLE as a noun would have mystified me. And you can’t be misdirected by a clue if you don’t read it!
CHARMing Monday, @Zhou, and the low PPP count was very much appreciated! Keep ‘em coming!
Mimi
PS. @tht, I’m sure I’ll reuse your evocative phrase “the day ahead beckons” - and maybe start a list of Phrases to Remember!
PPS. Congrats to @kitshef - looking forward to your puzzle!
PPPS. Today is the birthday of both Scott Joplin and gangster “LUCKY” Lunciano. How about a little Solace?
RE "LUCKY DUCK" I'm more familiar with it in rhymed form, LUCKY DUCKY... and can no longer think of it without being reminded of an infamous op-ed in the Wall Street Journal from 20+ years ago that referred to the people whose incomes were so small that they pay no federal income tax on balance. I never liked it, because it's myopic, they still pay a lot in taxes and fees.
ReplyDeleteLook up Lucky Duckies at Wikipedia if you want to learn more.
Solving down clues only, this put up just enough resistance to make it satisfying. I had many blank downs for ages, for instance in the middle top where Rex said he had none, I had only HUMID which was a gimme. And like Rex, immediately tried NAMEDROP for 9 down but too short. My last word was ENNUI where I wanted BLASE, BLAHS, etc.
ReplyDeleteOne other typeover: for 10 down "Backspace, maybe" I had (aptly) RETYPE which had a couple of correct letters.
I remember another Duck Duck Goose theme years ago; I think the birds were all rebus squares and they were all DUCK except the very last one was GOOSE?
Agree with Rex about gobsmacked Great word.
ReplyDeleteBut "lucky dog"? Never heard that. always lucky duck or lucky ducky.
In Minnesota, it's known as "duck, duck, grey duck," and kids will count off using different colors (red duck, blue duck, etc.) until they deem someone the grey duck. There are a bunch of t-shirts, bumper stickers, etc. promoting this variant.
ReplyDeleteQuite a lovely Monday. My downs-only solve echoed @Rex's in many ways, especially in that top section with c'mon before I'M IN at 7D and ache/pine/LONG at 8D. CRATE took a few seconds to see because of the dog theft implication.
ReplyDelete@pabloinnh, @jberg, @jb129, and any others who think crating a dog is cruel. I would like to point out that we are dog lovers. We have 2 dogs on the farm now, the 3rd and oldest having died a few months back, and both of them have crates. The smaller dog, and now elder statesman (I think you might recognize his name, Pablo) has a small one in the mudroom where he can hide when he gets tired of all the crazy kids and dogs that visit when we have a big family party. He's good for a few hours but when he needs a break he seeks asylum in his crate. Sometimes I wish I had one. The other dog, a behemoth named Fred, loves his crate, and will head directly there for a nap after a tough morning of scaring off coyotes and foxes with his glorious deep woofing. It's hard work. He prefers to sleep there at night, which is good because who wants a small horse sleeping on the bed. Both of them will crawl up on the couch for a cuddle and a nap but there is nothing ICKY about their crates.
Our dog naps in her crate from time to time, but like yours, uses it to indicate she's ready for a time out from play. It's her personal space. I confidently wrote in couch for the dog napping location.
DeleteComments about dog crates being icky. I think the commenters had locked shipping crates in their minds. Same word but a very different image for an unlocked, maybe doorless, “room”of its own
Deletefor the dog. Les S. More post made perfect sense.
Sorry if I wasn't clear, I read the clue as possibly relating to a dognapper, I person who kidnaps dogs, and then absconds with them in a crate, which sounded pretty bad to me. I haven't had a pet dog since I was a kid and he was free-range but that was a long time ago. Give my best to Pablo and I'm claiming half a point in my Roo wars.
ReplyDeleteVery nice Monday and write up! I haven’t heard of marbits but I got LUCKY CHARMS just from the downs without looking at the clue. I found out here about how tight the theme was - the first two are ducks and the third goose. Excellent! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteFor Anonymous 9:44: You were surprised that I had never heard of DUCKDUCKGOOSE and asked where I was from. I've lived in 7 states, on both coasts, and now live in Florida (since 2006). None of my children or grandchildren were ever exposed to it, as far as I know. What is it, exactly?
ReplyDeleteDuck Duck Goose is a children's game where players sit in a circle while one person, "it," walks around tapping heads, saying "duck" to each person they touch. When "it" chooses to say "goose," the person they tapped must get up and chase "it" around the circle. The goal for the chaser (goose) is to tag "it" before "it" sits down in the empty spot. If the chaser fails to tag "it," the chaser becomes the new "it".
DeleteForgot to mention in my early post that I am in the "I love the word GOBSMACKED" group. I use it fairly often, both sarcastically and sincerely. Great word.
ReplyDeleteAlso ROTISSERIE! Not quite as fantastic a word as GOBSMACKED but a super device. I've always loved grilling foods. Always had a hibachi handy when I was a poor student and, when I got a "real" job, i purchased a fairly modest gas grill to try it out. It was a floor model at a clearance price and came equipped with a rotisserie burner mounted horizontally across the back and a spit assembly with electric motor. At the time, I was in the habit of stopping into the supermarket once week on the way home from work to pick up one of those roasted chickens my kids loved. One day I decided instead to purchase a fresh bird and try to roast it myself. A small amount of prep involved. You have to make sure to remove anything in the cavity (sometimes there are giblets in there) and (this is optional) stuff said cavity with a halved lemon and a halved onion and maybe some fresh thyme and sage, if you have them. Then truss the bird, drive the spit through it, remove the grills from the BBQ, start the rotisserie burner, and put the spitted chicken in place, connected to the motor. Turn on the motor, close the lid and go in and watch the hockey game for an hour. Let someone else make the sides. Come out with an instant-read thermometer and check - should be about 160 F - remove the whole assembly, place it on a cutting board and take inside to rest for 10 or 15 minutes. Carve away. So much better than the supermarket bird that's been sitting for hours under those sad red lights. Everything moist (sorry @Rex) and juicy.
OK, cooking school over. Sorry, I just got hungry.
Thanks to JonB3 for an intro to DUCKDUCKGOOSE.
ReplyDeleteAs good a a Monday gets. Loved all the same things about this that @Rex and others did. The theme kept my interest, a revealer that landed and evoked some great day camp memories, and themers that did their job and then some. What's not to like?
ReplyDeleteIf I had a nickel every time I answered a question with "Ask mom"... well, I'd be somewhat more well off than I am now. That answer resonated.
Thank you Zhou for a great start to the week, looking forward to seeing more from you!
When I first moved to San Francisco I met a fellow Minnesotan who thought for sure I was a New Yorker and I insisted I grew up in Minneapolis (despite NY Jewish parentage). She turned and said, “Duck… Duck…” and I said “grey duck?” I didn’t even know it wasn’t a thing elsewhere!!!!
ReplyDelete(It was like those WW2 tests for German spies…)
Years later it was on “who wants to be a millionaire” as the first, supposedly easiest bottom-rung question: “in the children’s game, what word follows “duck…Duck…”? And “Duck “ was one of the 4 choices (their answer: goose) but that would've been unfair if it were a Minnesotan contestant bec “duck” would’ve been technically a correct answer!
Last night I got a text from a childhood friend who wrote, “I knew immediately you could not have written this Monday puzzle!”
(I loved it tho! Brava, Ms Z!)
Just finished a fun book on Briticisms in American English: "Gobsmacked" by Ben Yagoda. Rob Tauxe
ReplyDeleteEstoy parado aquí mismo.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard the phrase DUCK DUCK GOOSE in years prior to Halloween this year when the three members of our Human Resources department dressed as two ducks and a goose and went around handing out candy. I just read the Wikipedia page as I had no idea what exactly DUCK DUCK GOOSE represents and I see it's a game where you stand up and run meaning, if I ever play the game, I will permanently be "it" as it takes me 20 minutes to arise from a sitting position on the floor with lots of groans while uttering "getting old sucks."
Enjoyable puzzle. I looked right past the marbits, so I'm glad to see 🦖 feature it.
I learn today a white t-shirt is a wardrobe staple, and imagine they're not meaning my stack of Fruit of the Loom V-neck undershirts, so no I don't have a white TEE I guess.
ENNUI has remained my all time favorite word for several years now and having it in the puzzle made my day.
❤️ GOBSMACKED. ASK MOM.
People: 4
Places: 3
Products: 5
Partials: 5
Foreignisms: 0
--
Gary's Grid Gunk Gauge: 17 of 76 (%)
Funny Factor: 5 😄
Tee-Hee: [Rub out]. ORGY.
Uniclues:
1 Run a rental car off a cliff.
2 Why my drive is errant.
3 Root vegetable comedian's paring knife.
4 Get thy rodents to a nunnery.
5 Passing out from those sultry days hanging with the devil.
6 How to sweeten... oh forget it, this has unpublishable written all over my brain.
7 Cancel people's health insurance.
8 Fusses over fumes in the elevator.
1 ERASE LOANER
2 SILLY STRING TEE
3 TARO KNAVE AIDE
4 CRATE CHIPMUNKS
5 HUMID HELL CONK
6 LONG ORGY AGAVE
7 DELETE ER'S SWARM
8 ICKY PEW RAGES (~)
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: If Elizabeth could bonk a Bush. TEXAN-TUDOR CHEST BUMP.
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