.png)
Relative difficulty: Easy
Theme answers:
- CHOCOLATE COIN (20A: Classic Hanukkah treat)
- CUPCAKE (28A: Classic classroom party treat)
- CANDY CORN (39A: Classic Halloween treat)
- CHRISTMAS COOKIE (59A: Classic Yuletide treat)
Shawn Travis Kemp Sr. (born November 26, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers, and Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Reign Man", he was a six-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA Second Team member. Kemp is widely regarded as one of the best slam dunkers of all time and made the 1996 NBA Finals with the SuperSonics.
Kemp was a member of the United States national team at the 1994 FIBA World Championship where he won gold and was named to the All-Tournament team. He was part of a famous Pick And Roll duo with All-Star Teammate Gary Payton and is often associated with Payton. (wikipedia)
• • •
 |
| [Ida says "hi"] |
My only MISHAPs today were SLY before SUS (50D: Not on the up and up, slangily), and ... that's it? I think that's it. I had a weird moment of hesitation writing in the "C" in SCOW, thinking "didn't we just have this word? And wasn't it spelled with a 'K'?" The answers are "no" and "no." We had SKIFF recently. I searched my blog for SKOW and the only thing I discovered was that over the nearly twenty-year life of this blog, I have repeatedly (four times!) made the SKOW-for-SCOW mistake. And talked about it. I assume SKIFF is the word I'm thinking of every time I opt for SKOW. If I were Word Dictator, I would change SCOW to SKOW today. Right now. Actually, a real dictator would be sure to slap his name on it. "SKOW brought to you by Rex Parker." "The Rex Parker Center for SKOW Studies." It would be the greatest center. They're already saying it's the greatest center they've ever seen. Incredible.
Bullets:
- 12D: Short version of an impactful story (VIGNETTE) — love VIGNETTE, but hate this clue, and hate the word "impactful" with the white heat of my entire soul. Whatever you think you're saying, I guarantee you there's another, better word that you could use. Unless you are specifically talking about meteor literally striking earth, no. Merriam-Webster is right that "hating a word doesn't make it less real," but the fact that they decided to say that specifically about "impactful" tells you that the word sucks and you should stop using it. It's ugly jargon. Yes, it's real, people use it, but we don't have to encourage them. Sometimes descriptivism goes too far. Some "shoulds" and "shouldnts" are good. They give us a society worth living in. Anyway, I don't think "impactful" is even relevant to this clue. Surely there are lots of VIGNETTEs out there that are dull as paste and leave no particular impact at all.
- 30D: Character played by Bruce Lee on "The Green Hornet" (KATO) — nearly spelled it KETO, but that's the diet. Did KATO do KETO? Almost certainly not. Bruce Lee doesn't seem like a fad diet kind of guy. Although ... "Lee avoided baked goods and refined flour, describing them as providing empty calories that did nothing for his body" (wikipedia). But that's a long way from the anti-carb / high-fat extremism of the KETO diet (which started as an epilepsy treatment and then ... drifted).
- 23D: Former N.B.A. star Shawn with the nickname "Reign Man" (KEMP) — the one bit of trivia that might throw people today. I know KEMP well because not only was he a star back when I played close attention to professional sports, but he also shares my birthday. Not just the date—the exact day. I know a number of famous people who share my birthday (Charles Schulz, Tina Turner), but Shawn KEMP is the only famous person I know who was born on precisely the same day. "Reign Man" is a weird nickname. Did the people who named him not see Rain Man? I get it, he rules ("reigns"). And he played in Seattle ("rain rain rain rain"). But still.
Remy paws a paw-print ornament. Adorable high-five, or prelude to destruction? The best thing about cats is who the hell knows, could go either way.
 |
| [Thanks, Olivia!] |
Oliver says "oh so I'm a jester now? Because I'm short? You think I am funny? Do I amuse you?" You better give him a treat real soon.
 |
| [Thanks, Dennis!] |
Milo just wants to be a good boy. "Am I good now? Is it over? When is this over?"
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| [Thanks, Elissa!] |
Here's our first meta-holiday pet pic—Clementine reenacting a cat picture I posted earlier in the month (12/4)
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| [Thanks for the weirdness, Richard and Karen!] |
Grady's fine here, thanks. Nope doesn't need anything. These accommodations are perfect. He'll be down for dinner. OK, you can go now.
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| [Thanks, Joanne!] |
Finally, a holiday message from Molly and Tidbit: "What are you lookin' at? You didn't see nothin', move along ... oh, yeah, and like the sign says, Merry Christmas. Now beat it."
 |
| [Thanks, Aane and Mary!] |
See you next time.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook and Letterboxd]
=============================
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The revealer rang a bell - and I was right, the WSJ puzzle from last Tuesday had the exact same theme, with the same revealer and 2.5 identical themers (CHOCOLATE COIN, CHRISTMAS COOKIE, and COTTON CANDY instead of CANDY CORN).
ReplyDeleteThat’s crazy! Sounds like the Times got SCOOPed!
DeleteOkay, good, I'm not insane. I was sitting there like "I've done this before..."
Delete7:30 for me this morning, so I think that's easy to easy/medium for a Tuesday. Nice puzzle. Felt very December! With Christmas and Hanukkah fully represented, and ski-jumping. Enjoyed thinking of KATO with a SABRE. SAYSWHO is very bright and in-the-language. I agree that CSUITE is a little "See what I did there?" ish but I really admire the tight, low-gunk fill today. And then I came here and got very confused--"Wait, did I miss something in this puzzle about cats??? I didn't see anything about chairs for pets or anything??? Finally scanned the grid and found CATCHAIR about ski jumping and it hit me. Cute, @REX, you got me. Thank you, Nathan, terrific puzzle! : )
ReplyDeleteLoved Rex's riff on CAT CHAIR.
DeleteI closely followed pro basketball and remember Kemp being called the Man Child. He was freakishly powerfully built and drafted out of high school.
Knew EN BANC from talking heads' discussion of legal challenges relating to the orange felon, all of which (for now, anyway) moot.
Davin hop
DeleteRex called en banc a French phrase, which it is.and it isn’t It is used much more frequently in American law than in French law ( looking it up it is not clear the French use it at all). En banc goes back in English law for almost a millennium. So Rex’s dumping on the phrase seems a bit much.
I have a CAT CHAIR, several actually. And a cat sofa and two cat
Deletebeds - mine and hers. She uses hers when I’m away because I turn on the warmer so she won’t miss me too much and hunt for trash to empty or toilet paper to unroll. Her sister taight her those capers.
I originally hoped that the warmer would entice her to sleeping there when I’m in the “big girl bed” also known as mine. Occasionally, usually only if I’m restless (or pretend to be), I get most of the “Sleepy House” real estate; very occasionally.
ReplyDeleteMedium. Lots of overwrites, due mainly to my habit of filling in guesses without reading the clue. Liked it more than @Rex did.
* * * * _
Overwrites:
CATCH-All before CATCH AIR at 2D before reading the clue
mpeg before CLIP for the 16A video
loCust before CICADA at 21D
I'm never sure whether the Green Hornet character is cATO or KATO (30D)
MeSsuP before MISHAP for the accident at 32A
CAN of CORN (thinking baseball) before CANDY CORN at 39A before reading the clue
My part of the job was worK before it was a TASK (41A)
43D More than a little mad was SEEthe before it was SEE RED
WOEs:
Actress PORTIA de Rossi at 8D
Nobelist OLGA Tokarczuk at 19A
Hoopster Shawn KEMP at 23D
Hand up for SEEthe before SEE RED. Trying not to be all grumpy about it, for Mrs. Freude’s sake.
DeleteOn 2 down, I thought “Catch Air” instead of “Cat Chair”
ReplyDeleteCan’t tell if this is sarcastic or not. Obviously Rex knew it was really catch air but given his love of cats…the second I saw it could also be parsed as cat chair I was really hoping he would comment on that and I wasn’t disappointed. Spot on review today @rex.
DeleteHey, thanks! 🙏
DeleteNote to Rex: a cat chair need not be rectangular. If there's a sock on the floor, Tasha will sit on it.
DeleteIs a dog chair a "bark-o-lounger"?
DeleteWow! Thanks to these comments I just realized the true answer was “catch air!” I only saw it as “cat chair” and didn’t really see the humor in Rex’s exploration of the term. I even lived in a ski town for 10+ years and I just figured “cat chair” was some newfangled ski term I didn’t know. Wow!
DeleteEasy enjoyable puzzle. I originally thought it was cat chair; it's actually catch air. Not on tĥè ùp and up had me too. Don't know why, but sus did not jump out at me. Loved the video six months in a boat.
ReplyDeleteWe call it Gelt- not chocolate coin
ReplyDeleteYeah, I hated "chocolate coin." No one says that. When I saw that neither gelt nor latke would fit, I couldn't fill it in until I got enough downs. But "chocolate coin" hurts my eyes and ears.
DeleteAnonymous 9:11 AM
DeleteI am not Jewish but heard Gelt from Jewish friends and the Times I wanted to put it in too.
But the theme requires 2 c words. Gelt does mean money in Yiddish so it’s the closest they could get
When playing spin the dreidel for Hanukkah you win “gelt.” Not sure anyone asks for a chocolate coin.
ReplyDeleteI love cats, too...and our tuxedo cat J.J. sits wherever he chooses. But 2-Down is "CATCH AIR," not "CAT CHAIR." Easy Tuesday with straightforward fill. I also had "seethe" before the crosses mandated SEE RED...my only sticking point.
ReplyDeleteBob Mills
DeleteIn case you haven’t read other comments, Rex was riffing on his love for cats. He kept a straight face!
Elegant little early week grid. Like the long horizontal themers with the abrupt vertical revealer snuck into the corner. The holiday slant adds to the flavor.
ReplyDeleteMary Gauthier
CATCH AIR, VIGNETTE and TUSCAN tend to overcome ENBANC and SUS. Overall fill is solid - fits perfectly into its weekly sequence.
Let’s Boogey to the Elf Dance
Enjoyable snowy Tuesday morning solve. Pet pics are top notch today.
Conor Oberst
I thought it was a pretty serviceable theme. Apparently unremarkable as well, as I do the WSJ puzzle every day and didn’t even remember the similarity.
ReplyDeleteI suspected CAT CHAIR might generate some discussion today. I agree with OFL that “impactful” in the clue is unnecessary, as one may encounter a VIGNETTE about more “mundane” items as well. I don’t share his disdain for the term though. I tend to save my vitriol for things that send Gary’s Gunk Gauge through the roof, and we have had plenty of opportunities to vent about those recently.
Southside: Do you think that in most cases the WSJ puzzle is significantly easier then the NYT? ( Well, I think so)
DeleteHey Joe, Sunday through Friday, I usually do the WSJ, LAT, NYT and the New Yorker if it is a full size puzzle. I would say that the NYT is almost always the most difficult of that group. The themes for the others are rarely so convoluted that you need a Rex to explain them to you post-solve, for example (and they don’t rely on so much trivia and arcana that they even need a Gunk Gauge, whereas the NYT approaches nearly 50% “gunk” on some days - thanks to Gary for putting in the time and effort to document just how much nonsense the NYT can squeeze into a grid on a daily basis).
DeleteI would also recommend Evan Birnholz‘s Sunday offerings at the WaPo. He occasionally slips in a Meta, if you enjoy those. Even if you are not a Meta fan, he makes a conscious effort to keep the crosses fair and veer away from Naticks (I know that because he told me).
One group of puzzles that I am not a fan of are the Saturday offerings at the LAT. For some reason they seem incapable of doing “difficult” puzzles “well”. The Saturday LAT grids are invariably examples of the constructors’ (and editors) doing their best to either annoy or frustrate the solver, IMO. Difficult (not obtuse) cluing is expected on a Saturday, but not for every entry and not when it’s only done to show off the author’s cleverness.
My observations are obviously based on my own personal perceptions. Others may have a significantly different take on it, but that’s how I would summarize the relative difficulty levels based on my own experience.
Rexey, your impression of Trump was very good.
ReplyDeleteMany people say it’s the best impression they’ve ever seen or heard.
Delete@Andy Freude -- LOL! Really.
DeleteWhat a relief to put in SABRE - as I do every time - and have it be correct for once.
ReplyDeleteMy first theme entries were CHOCOLATE gelt, Chex mix, and CANDY CORN. When I got to the last one, I knew it had to begin with C and wanted CHRISTMAS pudding, but that wouldn't fit, so somehow I came up with CHRISTMAS mousse. So then I started working the downs and had a lot of changes to make.
@kitshef. Loved reviewing your list of C treats.While I know the word 'gelt' I chose coin for thematic reasons, knowing full well there would be a barrage of objections. CANDY CORN is abominable but Chex Mix is good stuff, at least the way we make it here. Chex cereals are not widely distributed here in my part of Canada but we make a similar snack called Nuts 'n' Bolts. It uses Shreddies, a malted, whole wheat based cereal shaped just like Chex, as well as Cheerios, stick pretzels, roasted peanuts (where allowed) and Hawkin's Cheezies - the creme de la creme of cheezies, produced by generations of Ontarians. I believe my wife is making a batch right now. I can't wait.
DeleteI know nothing of Christmas Mousse but Christmas Pudding ... family wars have been waged over this. My wife's grandmothers unofficially duelled over this. Mother Win (Winifred) arrived in Canada a fully formed Brit and made hers with plums. Enid, a descendant of United Empire Loyalists exiled to Saskatchewan (that'll teach you not to mess with Americans) based hers on carrots. Both were served at the end of Xmas dinner. Both matriarchs would survey the table to see who was eating which one. Woe to the diner who just chose one. Did you not see the "evil eye"? I survived because I liked them both. If we make it today, and that's not often because the kids don't seem to appreciate it, we do the Canadian prairie version with carrots. Sweet enough and easier to make. Thanks for going there.
Our family recipe has neither plums nor carrots. Raisins, currants, and orange peel is it for fruits and vegetables. Had to be served with brandy, and I have a fond memory of my grandfather going through a box of matches trying to light his.
DeleteRaisins and/or currants, for sure and definitely thin slices of orange peel. But the brandy was incorporated and a sauce was added. Either a soft warmed caramel (prairie version) or something called "hard sauce" which was an icing sugar concoction that melted on the warm pudding. My appetite is now whetted and I may have to go find the steaming tin. The kids will dutifully pick at it and I will enjoy the leftovers for Boxing Day breakfast.
Delete@lessmore 3pm
DeleteMy Scottish immigrant grandma sent us a one of those tins of Plum Pudding every Christmas. We were in NY and she was in Florida.
One year it never arrived, even though she sent it. In the Spring it was found at the door in the backyard, where it spent most of the Winter in the snow. I don't know why the delivery person put it there, but we never used that door. Anyway It seemed fine, lol I think we ate it anyway
I'm greatly dismayed at how many people are unfamiliar with the slang 'cat chair'. Doesn't anybody ski any more?
ReplyDelete@kitshef. Sadly (for me anyway), I can no longer ski, but am a fanatic about the sport, especially ski jumping. I scour the sports channels for opportunities to watch. I’m certain most folks understand that that the correct answer is CATCH AIR, but so frequently, the eye sees more familiar words because the grid doesn’t allow for space between words. And, I am also certain that your comment is facetious, but I replied just in case someone reading really did think the answer (regardless of the obvious skiing reference) was CAT CHAIR - possibly because of the adorable pet pics @Rex has been sharing. Please don’t be offended.
DeleteSolved downs only pretty quickly, except for the NE. It shouldn’t be that easy.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check with a Bronte expert, but did Rochester ever CATCH EYRE?
ReplyDeleteFirst line, last chapter: "Reader, I married him." (SHE caught HIM.)
DeleteAnyone in the tri-state area looking to get a trim for Christmas? I know a great stylist in Jersey who can CUT CHA HAIR.
DeleteHey All !
ReplyDeleteFunny it took me until completing the puz to notice the left/right symmetry. Silly brain.
Fill handled very well in the bottom half. Some thorny letter combos that needed to be worked around.
Got a chuckle out of Rex's CAT CHAIR reimagining of CATCH AIR. It's ALL IN FUN.
SAYSWHO is technically in a Themer spot, but we'll let that slide. Classic rebuttal treat? Har.
Liked the puz, especially for a Tuesday.
Have a great day!
Two F's
RooMonster
DarrinV
Har, new phone, forgot to log in.
DeleteRoo
Hey, I went to Nathan Hale HS!
ReplyDeleteLoved your subtle and very sly bit on Renaming Things, Rex. Bigly loved it. Nobody's ever seen anything like it.
I liked this tight theme and its spot-on revealer, as well as the left-right symmetry, the three palindromes, the COIN and CASH echoes of yesterday’s SHORTCHANGE puzzle, and the septet of answers ending with a schwa (including PINA and CICADA, and when you put them together, it sounds like a drink).
ReplyDeleteAmazed to find that AND CUT has never appeared in the 80 years of NYT puzzles.
The Hanukkah gelt shot me back to my youth, happy memories of sitting around a big table in a small apartment with generations of family during that holiday. Those coins were hard to open, but oh the reward!
Oh, I saw the double-C theme answers, and saw their sweetness, but my brain finally uncled after burning many ergs trying to guess the revealer without reading its clue. My ego sighed, but my brain adored the work.
Happy brain, happy memories and the beauty of a clean, well-built puzzle. One terrific springboard for the day. Thank you, Nathan!
In other words, this was a real truite.
DeleteA negative PuzPair with CATCHAIR above ASTHMA.
ReplyDeleteJohnny: I know that a dog says bow wow and a cat says meow.
Susie: You have no clue as to what an owl says.
Johnny: SAYSWHO
Little known fact: Judy Garland was dyslexic. So the first time they ran through the script for The Wizard of Oz, she spouted, "OTTO too?", which prompted a rapid "ANDCUT" from Victor Fleming.
Of the two light switch positions, I love "off" and I HATEON. Which is why I'm usually in the dark.
I eat it up when I see sweet puzzles, and today was one. Thanks, Nathan Hale.
Easier than yesterday's. Sort of a quiet and unobjectionable but unexciting puzzle. AND CUT... that'll be a wrap for today.
ReplyDeleteThanks @RexParker your captions on the pet pictures are so funny! Highlight of the day! How does he come up with this stuff? Tee hee The white poodle mix today in the Santa hat, is it over? Haha
ReplyDeleteFaster than yesterday. Had Catapult before CATCHAIR and Locust before CICADA but everything else was a breeze. The candy corn did evoke Halloween rather than Christmas, whihc was too bad.
ReplyDeleteAdorable pet pics. You have to love a dog named Tidbit. ...Ida looks as though she needs more sleep!
Really zipped through this one—I think all the sugar went straight to my brain. Great memories of living in a NYC apartment building where Christmas and Hanukkah shared nearly every floor. Thanks Rex for the fun write-up.
ReplyDeleteSolved before breakfast but took longer than expected for Tuesday stupidly put shake before shook held me up! Finally got to my coffee.
ReplyDeleteA little tone-deaf to not only run a Hanukkah themer right after the holiday ended, but also to also change gelt to coin.
ReplyDeleteWe had Mozilla yesterday and C-Suite today. Coincidentally, a former boss of mine just joined the Mozilla C-Suite this past week!
A rollicking Tuesday, thanks to the sugar high of the theme + @Rex and commenters on a roll. My biggest difficulty today was muffling my laughter so as not to disturb my spouse hard at work in the next room. Anyway. I thought the theme was really clever - seeing the potential in SUITE-->sweet and then seeing that there are 4 common treats that fit both the concept and the grid (I did wonder about COIN instead of "gelt," though). And I liked AND CUT over CHRISTMAS COOKIE.
ReplyDeleteA fun, easy, Holiday-related puzzle & enjoyable. I had to slow down so as not to have to search for typos (there were none). Thank you, Nathan :)
ReplyDeleteKeep the Pet Pics coming, Rex & your comments. BTW I remember when you first got Ida. She's a real beauty. What love & a good home can do for a pet :)
Anyone watching The Bachelor Bulgaria? I think MISHA P. could go all the way!
ReplyDeleteI read 2D Go off a ski jump as CATCH AIR, nothing feline at all.
ReplyDeleteTrue --- but Rex will always make a beeline for the feline.
DeleteI followed Kemp's career pretty closely. He wasn't widely-known as Reign Man. I'm guessing that some sports writer came up with it but that it didn't catch on.
ReplyDeleteYou’re quite wrong about this, as even a few seconds spent on a search engine could tell you.
DeleteWhether he was the Reign Man or not (apparently he was), it's interesting that he was chosen for the puzzle over Jack Kemp, a star professional quarterback who also was a Cabinet officer and vice-presidential running mate of Bob Dole.
DeleteMaybe in Seattle. I watched dozens of Kemp's games and never heard it used.
DeleteI've never been a basketball fan but I do live in what you folks like to call "the Pacific Northwest" - about two and a half hours and an international border north of Seattle - and I do remember the Rain Man (because he'd rain on you; think Seattle; rain is a big thing). Don't remember seeing it as Reign Man.
DeleteThe puz had the CHRISTMASCOOKIE, so quite topical. And nice funky C-SUITE revealer. thUmbsUp.
ReplyDeletestaff weeject pick: EAT. Comes to mind immediately, whenever I see CANDYCORN. Fave Halloween treat, at our house. Goes good with cashews, btw.
faves included: CANDYCORN [by far]. ALLINFUN. SAYSWHO. VIGNETTE. ISTHATSO. E/W puzgrid symmetry. CHRISTMAS COOKIE*.
Thanx for the fun, Mr. Hale dude. Yer CAT CHAIR entry will forever have legs in xword history.
Masked & Anonymo8Us
... a themer in this next puz was sorta SCOOPed by one in today's NYTPuz ... but the whole runtpuz is sorta an ode to @RP's XmasPet pics ...
"Around the Christmas Tree" - 7x7 themed runt puzzle:
**gruntz**
M&A
* p.s. fave CHRISTMAS SUITE: KRINGLE.
First of all, I have to say that is one fabulous book cover. Thanks for that, @Rex. I mean I like the pet pics, but that bit of sly design is just a delight. Lovely to look at, clever, and only 35 cents.
ReplyDeleteBut the puzzle … I solved downs-only as I usually do on Tuesdays and found it much more daunting than yesterday’s offering. I was just blanking on the long downs in the NW and NE. What do I know about ski jumping? I would have preferred, per Rex, a CAT CHAIR. And VIGNETTE is a fine word partially crippled by its clue. Too bad.
But a pretty good puzzle. It just brought back too many memories of jousting with dickhead execs to make it a really enjoyable solve for me. Not the puzzle’s fault, of course, but it makes it difficult to have a good time.
But we could still have a good TINE (35D). I would like to point out that (IMHO) the pitchfork is one of mankind’s greatest inventions. Unlike Grant Woods’ subjects, I prefer a 5 tine model.
I see our dog Oliver made the cut! Thanks for the cute post Rex! Happy holidays, one and all. Dennis
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely agree with h@rex on "impactful", but he should have closed with "leave no particular effect at all".
ReplyDeleteEasy. No costly erasures (except for a typo) and OLGA and KEMP were it for WOEs.
ReplyDeleteCute theme, smooth grid, breezy solve, liked it.
I did see the sweets with their double C starts but failed to read the clues for 47D and 48D. I did have to read the clue for 46D in order to get rid of Action at 57A. Thus, I didn't see the revealer and really didn't need it. Dull? Yes, a bit.
ReplyDeleteBrownish yellow sounds ugly but KHAKI isn't ugly. I'd call it "tan" and stay away from the brownish-yellow hue.
I was ready to See the at 43D when the CHt of 59A talked me down from that error.
Thanks, Nathan Hale.
Totally agree about "impactful." Fortunately, the pet pictures were there to pick me up.
ReplyDeleteNo problem here with CATCHAIR (although I missed the cat chair part, which is good fun). NH is the last state in the country that has high school ski jumping as a sport, and my brother-in-law is a jumping judge, one of the few around, and he's in great demand.
ReplyDeleteNoticed the double C thing right away and the revealer was fine but it took a while before I made the SUITE/sweet connection, which was fine as it enhanced the sweetness.
Just two unknown propers today, OLGA, who should be 'gymast Korbut" and PORTIA, who should be "Merchant of Venice heroine". Everything else acceptable. Well, AMSO is borderline, but I'll give it a pass because tis the season.
Good solid Tuesday, NH. The themers were all Nicely Handled and the pun in the revealer was a nice Christmas bonus. Thanks for all the fun.
Still away from home, solving online on my small laptop screen, which is not pleasant. And the NYT software kept telling me that I had a mistake, and when I clicked 'check' sending me to a square that was correct. Bah!
ReplyDeleteOther than that, I pretty much agree with Rex;
One of the challenges of coming up with a set of theme entries that are both consistent with the theme idea and (that's a big AND) have matching letter counts. A typical set of four, for example, will have two sets with matching letter counts.
ReplyDeleteToday we see a inventive way around this hurdle. By using left-right instead of rotational symmetry we get a set of four themers, each one a different letter count, 13, 7, 9 &15. Nice.
I'm always on the look out for the ubiquitous plural of convenience (POC). They take up space and make it easier to fill the grid without adding much of anything of value or interest. Most puzzles have several. Some go overboard and are POC Assisted or even POC Marked.
Today is unusual in that regard. I can find only one (!) two-fer where both a Down and an Across get boosted by sharing a final S. See it? I think this makes a palpable difference in the solve experience. More satisfying with less non-nutritional filler, so to speak. Very nice!
Never heard of CSUITE. (I'm glad.) No reason, however, to HATE ON or SEE RED for this solid offering.
I look forward to visiting the most excellent, absolutely magnificent and spectacularly breathtaking Rex Parker Center for SKOW Studies.
Like Les, I did this downs only and it started pretty slow because of (same as yesterday) the long downs. But somehow finished in only 13 minutes which is pretty quick for me.
ReplyDeleteRex got me with CAT CHAIR... I thought: hmm, don't remember that; it must have been one of the acrosses. Oh!... CATCH AIR.
And Rex... I thought I'd read all the John D. MacDonald books but that one doesn't look familiar. However it was 40+ years ago I read those!
Still no snow here in the Okanagan, but some is forecast for Christmas night. We very often get our first real snowfall immediately after Xmas so you never know!
SEERED ?
ReplyDeleteYes -- it's when you saw into the future in the past.
DeleteOr, SEE RED, like be angry.
Hey, after several months of having my comments unpublished, this old guy finally figured out how to get back on board.
ReplyDeletePerhaps there will be some hidden diagonal words (HDWs) pointed out once again. (Don't let's all cheer at once!)
I do spy a hidden SPY (diagonally speaking) peeking out of a chriStmas cookie in the south.
¿Dónde oíste eso?
ReplyDeleteNot much of a theme, but pretty nice fill. I smugly wrote in LOCUST rather than CICADA.
Why do you suppose they invoked the image of American Gothic for the pitchfork TINE? A tine is a tine is a tine until the last syllable of recorded tine.
Mountain lion perch situated ideally to grab and eat hotdogging skiers: CAT CHAIR.
I wanted to complain that every dress shirt is TUCKED in, but then I remembered people wear pajamas to the grocery store and everything I assumed about fashion is probably a lie.
I don't think I've ever shaken a present, but I see them doing it in movies. Does it provide one with meaningful intel?
I miss dial-up. An internet filled with all text and an dynamic IPs. Alas, now we have pictures of everyone's lunch.
I love anchovies. There, I said it.
People: 7
Places: 2
Products: 5
Partials: 9
Foreignisms: 2
--
Gary's Grid Gunk Gauge: 25 of 75 (33%)
Funny Factor: 1 🤨
Uniclues:
1 When you put the wrong answer in a crossword, but then that word shows up somewhere else in the grid.
2 How beauticians and murderers work.
3 When dad cinches his T-shirt under his belt to drive his teenage daughters crazy.
4 The hacky scene in every movie where old white guys with blue suits are making heartless decisions for profit.
1 ASTUTE MISHAP (~)
2 STEP UP AND CUT
3 TUCKED ALL IN FUN (~)
4 C-SUITE VIGNETTE
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: Demand from eminently reasonable schoolyard bully. HALFSIES OR ELSE.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The business terminology didn’t bother me. I thought it was a very good pun. A suite of c’s as well as sweet candy. But it turned off Rex on the puzzle. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI can see why people were bothered by the themer answer which described Gelt instead of using the word But it was required by the theme, c suite. I don’t think describing gelt accurately or being a day off is tone deaf. For those who don’t know Gelt means money in Yiddish. And the candy comes in the shape of a coin.
I do agree with Rex about impactful. One of those words and not necessarily here
Very nice Tuesday puzzle - enjoyed the discussion of ski jump/lap ! I too struggled with coin instead of gelt but it resolved itself with the crosses. For me COOKIES are not a CHRISTMAS thing - pudding is (similar to the much reviled fruit cake). The Italian version is the divine panettone! Love Rex’s descriptions for the beautiful pictures
ReplyDeleteI solved on iPad but not getting credit. I’ve reviewed 3 times!
ReplyDeleteAnon - make sure you didn’t inadvertently enter a numeric 0 where an alpha O belongs. I did that once and it drove me absolutely bonkers.
DeleteIf you don’t care about whether you have a “streak” (I don’t) then hit “check puzzle.”
DeleteA lot to like about this one. Though I did have a similar experience to @Rex. Great construction and very, very clean fill, just not the most exciting. The theme was clever enough and I thought the revealer was spot on and the most fun part of the solve.
ReplyDeleteLoved @Rex's account of CATCHAIR :o). I must admit that I needed to come here to understand SEERED as SEE RED! *That* one had me scratching my head for a while.
Enjoyed all the long downs in the North and I appreciated the attempt at a different angle of cluing for ASL.
Thanks Nathan for a VERY clean Tuesday grid and for giving a jolt to my sweet tooth - I must have some left-over gelt around here somewhere!
I agree with @Rex pretty much 100% today. I question the double UPs STEP UP and DIAL-UP (or DIALUP, or DIAL UP). All three appear depending on one’s choice of dictionary. Regardless of the technicality of the space, hyphenation, or neither, for me, it’s too glaring a dupe and I wish the editors had demanded a change.
ReplyDeleteThat said, while the puzzle was very, very easy and the theme answers a bit on the “meh” scale, the reveal was excellent - the high point of the solve for me. The cleverness of the suite/SWEET - impressive.
I truly am trying to treat the serious sleep disorder that has me posting very late - or early depending on geography, but thus far nothing seems to be assistive. Not that I have anything earth shattering to say, but I know my tardiness forces those of you who try to read all the comments to circle back the next day. I truly regret the inconvenience and sincerely appreciate being included. It must often require that “Moderator @Rex” review my blather during his regular before dawn activities of his crossword-related day. Thank you one and all for contributing so much that is interesting, hilarious, instructive, kind and often one of the high points of my day.