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Classic toy for budding engineers / FRI 1-23-26 / A little possessive, perhaps? / Commercial preceder of Geo / Micromobility option / How to look at your hot fudge sundae / Text insert for a flash-forward film scene / ___ Mountain (ski area in Killington, Vt.) / Like kyawthuite among gems / It is "Making the complicated simple, awesomely simple," per Charles Mingus
Friday, January 23, 2026
Constructor: Joyce Keller
Relative difficulty: Easy
Word of the Day: Micromobility (35A: Micromobility option => E-SCOOTER) —
The term micromobility refers to a category of small, lightweight vehicles designed for short-distance travel in urban areas and operated by their users. Micromobility encompasses a wide range of transport options, including bicycles, velomobiles, e-bikes, cargo bikes, electric scooters, electric skateboards, shared bicycle fleets, and electric pedal-assisted (pedelec) bicycles. Motorized micromobility vehicles are also known as personal transporters.
Initial definitions set the primary condition for inclusion in the category of micromobility to be a gross vehicle weight of less than 500 kilograms (1,100 lb). However, according to a standard of the SAE International in 2018 the definition has evolved to exclude devices with internal combustion engines and those with top speeds above 45 kilometres per hour (28 mph).
The term micromobility was allegedly coined by Horace Dediu in 2017. However, references to the term on the internet can be found as early as 2010. (wikipedia)
• • •
["Enjoy your death trap, ladies!"]
But then ... then ... [sigh] then I saw I was dealing with a Down answer that started "ASAT-." Nothing starts "ASAT-." Nothing good anyway. There was no way that this was going to be anything but an "AS A ___" answer, and "AS A" answers, as a rule, are awful. Contrived. Grimace-causing. AS A RULE may be the only one I can actually tolerate. Everything else just feels like you grabbed a random snatch of conversation out of the ether and threw it down in the grid. AS A TREAT is no exception. And the clue ... 8D: How to look at your hot fudge sundae... ugh. How else are you going to look at it? AS A PUNISHMENT? How to look at my hot fudge sundae? HUNGRILY? LUSTFULLY? I did not know there were prescribed ways to look at a hot fudge sundae. The clue wording is just bizarre. Why not just use a clue like [For fun]? Won't make AS A TREAT any better as an answer, but at least you don't call attention to it with the bizarre premise of someone making googly-eyes at ice cream. I might EAT A SANDWICH AS A TREAT, but I would never put any combination of those words in my grid.
["You're thinking up your white lies / You're putting on your BEDROOM EYES"]
Things got better again, though. Real nice descent on the west side, from "THIS ONE'S ON ME" (5D: "I'll take the blame") to (later in the evening, perhaps) BEDROOM EYES (22D: Longing look). The other marquee answers aren't terribly exciting, but they're solid, and the grid stays mostly clean. *Mostly*—TGI is an abomination on its own and I can't believe it's still allowed in the grid. Just because one restaurant saw fit to turn the "F" in TGIF into a full word and thus separate it from the "TGI" doesn't mean any of us should ever accept "TGI" as a standalone thing. I demand that you delete "TGI" from your wordlists immediately, until such time as it becomes a common texting initialism ("too gross, ick!"? "that's [a] good idea!"?) or a mononymous singer's name ("it's pronounced 'Tiggy!'"). I don't much care for YER, either, but at least that's got kind of a cute clue (9D: A little possessive, perhaps?).
No real difficulty today, though. I don't need Fridays to be grueling, but a little more resistance, esp. if it comes in the form of clever clues, would be nice. The only real trouble spots for me today were BEENE (specifically that second "E," which I always think is going to be an "A") (25A: Designer Geoffrey), the first two letters of STARE (I thought it might be GLARE) (27D: Long look), and PICO Mountain, which I've simply never heard of (16A: ___ Mountain (ski area in Killington, Vt.)).
Bullets:
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
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Bullets:
- 23A: Like kyawthuite among gems (RAREST) — probably should've made "kyawthuite" my Word of the Day today, but since I'm unlikely to see it again for the rest of my life (just as I avoided seeing it for the entirety of my life before today), I decided to go with a more everyday term—or, rather, a term that describes a more everyday phenomenon ("micromobility"). Weird obsession with minerals in today's puzzle—this answer came just a few clues before another comparative mineralogical clue: 28A: Like quartzite vis-à-vis quartz (HARDER).
- 49A: It is "Making the complicated simple, awesomely simple," per Charles Mingus (CREATIVITY) — not normally a fan of these quotation clues, and honestly I didn't even see this clue when I was solving (I could just tell the answer was CREATIVITY and filled it in). But as crossword clue quotes go, I like this one, mainly because it comes from a jazz great and sounds like something a human being would actually say. I like the colloquial addition of "awesomely simple." I can actually hear a voice there.
- 52A: Text insert for a flash-forward film scene (YEARS LATER...) — a nice, specific, vivid way of handling this phrase. I wish I could find a specific instance of this "text insert" actually being used in a film (or a tv show), but I'm having trouble getting the movie 28 Years Later out of my search results.
- 50D: Late actor Kilmer (VAL) — this clue bums me out. Kilmer played so many memorable roles, but all this clue tells you about him is that he's dead. Top Gun! Heat! My favorite VAL Kilmer movie is always going to be Real Genius, both because I watched it over and over as a kid, and because it was filmed almost entirely on the campus of Pomona College, where I ended up going to school (just two years after the movie came out). Real Genius—the first movie to end with the Tears for Fears song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (Marty Supreme might've done it better, but Real Genius did it first).
That's all. See you next time.
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132 comments:
Oddly clued overall - it’s a decent late week themeless but something was amiss. The opening corner didn’t fire for me - THIS ONES ON ME was an obtuse long and Rex highlights AS A TREAT.
Giants Under the Sun
We always skied PICO instead of Killington - smaller and I think a cheaper lift ticket for my dad - I loved it. E-SCOOTER are a bane - keep them out of my puzzle. Liked the SANAA string - BEDROOM EYES is the real winner here.
Primus
Lacking a real punch but pleasant enough Friday morning solve.
Cocteau Twins
Easy-Medium. Decent Friday. Found it a tad more challenging than @Rex but liked it more.
* * * * _
One overwrite, SofiA before SANAA for the 34A capital
WOEs:
Vermont's PICO Mountain (16A)
At 40D I didn't know either the singer CIARA or the fragrance.
The combination of OHPUHLEASE and LESBIANBAR gave me so much trouble that the NW corner took absolutely FOREVER. I had little trouble with the rest of the grid, but I finished *way* above my average time.
Literally the moment I put in ASATREAT, I thought about EATASANDWICH.
In 2020, TGI Fridays began rebranding itself simply as "Fridays," dropping the TGI. By 2023, however, it had given up on this effort, and reverted to the original name.
My understanding is that the decision to restore the TGI was the result of a massive lobbying campaign by the Crossword Puzzle Constructors Trade Association, claiming that this rebranding represented an existential threat to their ability to ply their trade. What's next? they asked. Assert that Mel Ott never existed?. That teens don't get acne? That the IOC allows only foils and sabres, and not épées, in its fencing events? That George Lucas stopped making films after American Graffiti?
It would damn shame to see this hard-won victory go to waste.
Medium here. Some of the clues were pretty obtuse (which is ok for Friday). I'm glad Rex explained the LESBIAN BAR clue, but it is still far from intuitive. I toyed with LESBIAN BAe before running the alphabet.
I had the “lease” part for 4A (Don’t be absurd!) and thought for a second the answer might be “bitch, please!”
👍🏼
Absolutely thrilled to see Mingus in today’s puzzle and thank you Rex for including audio of Good Bye Pork Hat. The song is a tribute to the death of the legendary saxophonist Lester Young who had recently passed when Mingus wrote this. And Mingus Ah Um is one of the greatest jazz albums of all time. This one started my day just right. Many thanks.
Oh man, how fun was this? Wordplay everywhere, answers with verve, riddles galore, areas of whoosh, areas of brain-loving chip, chip, chip. A yes puzzle. Yesses popping out of me again and again.
Huge inner fist pump for [She’s out there!]. Smile bursts at OH PUHLEASE and BEDROOM EYES, and even at the classic sweet dook (GOON).
Wordplays such as [One setting on speakers?] and [Out of joint?], and, for me, a terrific misdirect – [Rigi of Switzerland, e.g.] – which had me wondering for a bit if this Rigi was a designer or a company name.
Next-to-each-other PuzzPair©️ of GRAY and SMOG. Childhood Erector Set memories elicited. That dead-on perfect quote by BASSman Charles Mingus re CREATIVITY. Lovely short answers HEFT and PREEN.
The talent to get all this in the box! One impressive gratitude-evoking build.
You know those performances, where at the end the audience bursts up as one in a rousing spontaneous standing-O? That’s what your puzzle was like for me, Joyce, and that’s exactly how I felt at the end. Brava, Joyce, brava!
Same here for PICO over Killington. But when I came to that part of the puzzle, I asked Mrs. Freude how many people outside Vermont are going to know about PICO?
That Mingus album is a MILESTONE in jazz—so many great tracks.
My favorite VAL Kilmer role was Nick Rivers in Top Secret!, but he was enjoyable in just about everything.
AS A TREAT is pretty egregious, so the question is whether the rest of the puzzle justifies that. OH PUHLEASE doesn't ring true for me, as spelled. And I hate the clue for LESBIAN BAR - as I always hate ! clues. But I love YEARS LATER and BEDROOM EYES. And VAL Kilmer. On balance, I'll take it.
Had a natick at the crossing at CHER and DRE. I don’t speak French and I’ve never watched Blackish. I had an e instead of an R. Bummer.
This was well past Saturday difficult for me. The NW was the main reason. I was slow on CHER, NUB,GENES and ASARULE (the ASA part.) Thinking the east end of 14A was LAUGH didn't help either. YER could be THY so I wasn't even sure of the otherwise obvious GRAY.I had to wait for OHPUHLEASE to show up for NUB to give me LESBIANBAR.
Maybe I was just having a bad night. In the NE I tried CHUMP and SMALL before the much more in the language SPARE as the front half of CHANGE. Whatever the reason this puzzle me a good late week solve.
I took "AS A TREAT" to suggest that rare time when we allow ourselves an indulgence. Like "I don't eat hot fudge sundaes every day. But now and then I will give myself a treat and have one". "AS A TREAT" is how we should view such indulgences.
!!!!!!! : )
Hey All !
Rex, don't forget VALs first movie "Top Secret!". If you (or y'all reading) have never seen it, do yourself a favor, and watch it (right now!) Just leave your logical brain at home.
NW puz left me beaten and Googled. Har. Got rest of puz, then just sat there, the unfilled squares laughing at me. Couldn't get anything at all there. Did put in SOLD for 1D, then raced over to good ole Goog for 3 answers! Dang, even after blatant look-ups twice, still couldn't get it. Silly brain. Had to cheat on DRE, CHER and APSE. Yikes.
Got rest of puz in good FriPuz time, at least.
I could've had a YEARS LATER segue in my book, Changing Times by Darrin Vail, but went with "Five years had gone by." Funnily, I was thinking the answer for that clue might've been WAVY LINES, you know, like in "Wayne's World". 😁
Hope y'all have a great Friday!
One F
RooMonster
DarrinV
Enjoyed this puzzle! 11:50 for me last night, so definitely easy or easy-medium for a Friday for me. Had looseCHANGE and eighT (instead of OCTET) at first, so that NE corner took me while, had to fix those mistakes. Wondering what Gary will say about BEDROOMEYES right next to ERECT... At least they COMMITted first... bet someone was disappointed when they found out he'd been NEUTERED. Wow, so much colorful language. And yes, @Lewis, nice touch having BASS in the grid with the Mingus quote. Thanks, @REX for Goodbye Porkpie Hat--a classic I learned in high school Jazz ensemble. Thank goodness for Brocolli ____ and even the "little possessive" or else that North-Central section was going to give me trouble--GENES as clued and ASATREAT were pretty obscure (I thought I was looking ASkance at my Sundae!). Thanks Joyce for this puzzle--it was a MILESTONE for sure! : )
Some really good long answers today. I could get used to these themeless puzzles that allow the constructors to work in answers like BEDROOM EYES and even MILESTONES, CREATIVITY, etc. It seems more like a real crossword puzzle to me. I wish they would do some earlier in the week.
That was an interesting way to clue CHER, I don’t understand the nuances of the French language, I’m guessing it may be the male form of “cheri” as in MON CHER?
I think it’s because I’m a level below OFL in solving ability, and far less critical (he’s a critic and I’m not,) but this puzzle had it all for me.
"In 2020, TGI Fridays began rebranding itself simply as "Fridays," dropping the TGI. By 2023, however, it had given up on this effort, and reverted to the original name." <--- Now if only that would happen to so-called "Dunkin".
Easy, except I made the same error as REX, spelling BEENE "Beane," which left me with "badroom____" I also had "octad" instead of OCTET for some reason.
For Southside Johnny: CHER is "Dear" en Francais, so it's a letter opener.
Asumiré la culpa.
Oh Friday. How you make me love every other day (except that homely mutt Saturday). Seems like I always fly through these themeless lists of random words only to be foiled by three letters. Well, my sweet CHER / DRE / NUB catastrophe, you will not define my self worth. I may not have vanquished you, but like a cruciverbalist savant I have nonsensical old friends like RABE and SANAA keeping me and my PRESS ON NAILS company while I devour my hot fudge sundae AS A FOUNDATION OF MY FOOD PYRAMID.
Like our current administration, I have reordered the food pyramid. Hot fudge sundae made at home (hopefully as a surprise from my wife) with Tillamook old fashioned vanilla and warmed Hershey's syrup is on the top of the pyramid obviously. Then under that is Weinerschnitzel-Tastee Freez. I'm pretty sure there's no real food in those and you don't expect it, do you? It's main purpose is to give you an alternative to driving your car off an overpass just so you can feel like a bird. Then of course McDonald's comes next mainly because there's a McDonald's in eyesight from every location in Albuquerque. And finally DQ's dairy-esque treat substance served in our local shop that smells like cleaning solvent. Those are the four food groups.
In case you were wondering -- all you rare gems -- I checked and kyawthuite.com is available.
I rented an e-scooter once and rode it to the train station in Denver from my old condo. It was fun, but I never did it again. I think it turned me into an old man. That was my last great adventure.
ANGST is my second favorite word.
❤️ OH PUHLEASE (lots of you will probably hate this, but YER so rawng brah).
People: 6
Places: 3
Products: 4
Partials: 2
Foreignisms: 1
--
Gary's Grid Gunk Gauge: 16 of 70 (23%)
Funny Factor: 4 🙂
Tee-Hee: LESBIAN BAR. HARDER. MOUTH ORGAN. ERECTOR SET. GOON. (Hi Joel!)
Uniclues:
1 The kind like me, thankfully for everyone else.
2 The more advanced clickier kind.
3 French kissers' woe.
4 E-Z.
5 How interbreeding led to our current political situation.
6 Why we wallow in self pity.
1 RAREST BOYS (~)
2 HARDER TAP SHOES
3 TONGUE ANGST
4 EASY CREATIVITY
5 GENES NEUTERED
6 TEARS AS A TREAT (~)
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: When you know you should've left the pub hours ago. BARFLY COBWEB.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Always glad to see Mingus represented in any capacity, though for a representative clip I might have chosen Fables of Faubus, given current conditions.
I finished in under 30 minutes, so of course it turned out to be "easy", but am not letting my sense of accomplishment slip away.
Could not get started in the NW at all, fearfully moved on to the NE, and suddenly broke away. PICO helped. With "the scene" dominated by Killington, those of us flocking to PICO and Okemo always could do so with a little sense of knowing more than "the crowd".
ERECTORSET was my favorite. Brought my kids up on Sandlot, and now it's my grandaughter's favorite. She's 5, probably seen it 10 times, and now dresses for the occasion, putting on the mitt and Red Sox jersey we gave her (with her name on it, of course) to watch it. I couldn't be happier. An erector set features prominently for any of you that don't know the movie.
After that joy I finally managed to sort out the NW/N and wrap this up. Will admit ASATREAT and OHPULEASE got groans (should've been lustfully and ohpuhleeez), but fun to solve, I did a Friday, and got to think of my granddaughter, Sandlot, and back to days I enjoyed skiing, so all good.
I'd take Davis over Mingus any day. Charles may have had CREATIVITY, but he didn't have MILESTONES.
A more timely clue than ["I'm listening"] for GOON would be [ICE employee].
I know a guy who plays percussion in a farm instrument band. He largely dings cow bells or TAPSHOES.
I always thought people were ending their texts to me with CYA as a warning to cover my ass. Might be more germane if we were sexting.
I agree that there was some marvelous cluing. I don't think anyone has yet mentioned FREE for [Out of joint?]. Very fast solve for me, but also very fun. Thanks, Joyce Keller.
QUARTZITE vs QUARTZ I think is less about minerals and more about current trendy countertop materials. Clue is trying to be topical in that any discussion of kitchen upgrades is Quartzite vs Quartz vs Granite.
Apparently Quartzite is very expensive and Quartz is actually man-made.
I'm just browsing the kitchen remodel ideas so I could be wrong.
Finally, an interesting and fun puzzle, on a Friday yet.Thank you, Joyce.
Likewise. Using RUB for NUB and not knowing DRE made CHER and SCANT impossible.
I think one example of being in tune with Rex (and I mean this lovingly and appreciatively) is (1) encountering an answer and instantly predicting Rex's related response, and (2) being correct. AS A TREAT immediately evoked "eat a sandwich".
As a kid, when we got to go to lunch at Friendly's, we could both eat a sandwich (a big beef cheeseburger) and get a Fribble as a treat.
I put the over/under on how many here can relate to what I just wrote at two.
HOF-worthy clue for LESBIAN BAR.
Rex: 1) Eating a sandwich is not a treat the way eating a sundae is; 2) Don't forget Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison in The Doors! He was great.
!!!!! Keep ‘em coming, Egs!
Can you explain FREE for Out of joint, please?
Doorman to MAGA cultist outside bar: GOONIN, GOON...IGNORE ONGOING NOGO SIGN.
That closing paragraph echoes my own experience to a T — I had both BEANE and GLARE before BEENE and STARE, and despite having lived in Vermont for years, I was never going to get PICO.
And yes, death to TGI.
It’s interesting because I did not think of “eat a sandwich.” I think there are a lot of people out there who incorporate a dessert into their day every day, so not sure they see it ASATREAT. And lest you think I talking about only “overweight” people, I am not.
I’ll be yer huckleberry….
I had the same experience. I couldn't parse OHPUHLEASE. I could infer PLEASE from the clue but was tripped up by the presence of the H, which I was fairly sure was right. Finally it clicked, and when it did, that corner came together relatively fast, but it was the las to fall.
Haha…for a hot fudge sundae you DO have milk and if you use dark chocolate for your fudge, you get some antioxidants! I think antioxidants should have a place in the food pyramid….
Just watched Kilmer the other night in Top Gun when he was at his youthful finest.The beach volleyball scene in that film is one of my all-time favorites.
Days without a Star Wars clue: 2 (I think!)😎
Don't text ...CYA See you again ? Catch your Ass? Seeya?
S. C.,Thank you for the laugh.
VAL Kilmer was in so many memorable movies, but the first one I think of is "Willow." Just thinking of it makes me smile!
I tend to scan all the clues first and put in the ones I definitely know the answers to. I got 26 down immediately, probably because I’m old, and had an erector set. That set the scene for getting the Southwest quadrant pretty much filled in. Started with loose change for 10 down, but ultimately realized it was spare change. Overall, I thought it was a pretty fun puzzle
Took slightly longer than an average Friday, due to a slow start. But I couldn't call it difficult.
I thought this had more ZIP than many we've seen recently. But not in the zilch sense, oh no. Most of the longer answers were quite nice: CREATIVITY, YEARS LATER, SPARE CHANGE, MILESTONES, THIS ONE'S ON ME, BEDROOM EYES, OH PUHLEASE!, PRESS-ON NAILS ("Digital applications?" -- nice), ERECTOR SET, LESBIAN BAR. Clever cluing for TAP SHOES ("They really click as a pair"), and nifty cluing for GENES ("Some body builders?") and OCTET ("Bits in a byte, e.g."). I thought the clue for LAWYER was also good.
Had "sign" before TATS, "cosy" before EASY, and was thinking Amman before SANAA. I too hesitated before the second E in BEENE.
AS A TREAT -- well, okay, I agree that's a lowlight. Sometimes it's a little hard putting one's finger on exactly why that sort of answer is clunky. Somewhat akin to "eat a sandwich", yes. Well, I won't spend too long trying to analyze the precise reasons. Actually, what's just as clunky is how normative the clue is: this is how you *should* be regarding your hot-fudge sundae. Very parental, very wise. (But, to be HONEST, I can't think of great ways of cluing that clunker. Hm. How beating one's feet on the Mississippi mud is experienced??)
Anyhow, what I really meant to say is that this was but one flaw in an otherwise very good puzzle (I'm too used to seeing TGI in puzzles to get worked up over that one). I was SOLD. Thanks for the TREAT, Joyce Keller.
OH PUHLEASE! Just about any woman - at least those who maintain vigilance over their calorie/carb intake (which is most of us) - can tell you that a hot fudge sundae is always viewed AS A TREAT. For that matter, so is just about any kind of dessert.
I thought this was a an excellent Friday, very little gunk and a sparkling level of CREATIVITY. LESBIAN BAR, TAP SHOES, E SCOOTER, BEDROOM EYES, PRESS ON NAILS. My change started out LOOSE, then got SMALL before becoming SPARE. That and the SE, but only briefly, were about the only areas of any ANGST for me. HONEST. Even the short stuff was good today. Thank you, Joyce. I had a great time with your puzzle.
VAL Kilmer as Doc Holliday in Tombstone is one of my 2-3 favorite actors+roles combos of all time. He’s also fantastic in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
Agree with you guys on PICO. Way less crowded than Killington and not a "resort destination", and that's good.
Hot fudge Sunday - Haagan Daaz Coffee ice cream with home made hot fudge (make fudge and add more cream!) and home made whipped cream. Absolutely the top of the food pyramid!!!! I, too, was done in by the Dre/Cher cross. However, I don't feel guilty for those look-ups.
A lot tougher for me than for Rex, but what else is new? Got CHER early on but for a long time filling in Sure and NUt stood between me and seeing LESBIAN—so that became a classic AHA moment for me, unlike for Rex who sussed it out from the start. ERECTORSET brought back a lot of memories. My siblings and I created some fantastical machines using the little motors that came with the later sets including one bedroom-spanning elevated tram system running from the top of one double-decker bed to another.
@DavinHOP - I never chose the Frisbee - went for the Hot Fudge Sundae or just a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream.
...and he’s written "a" and there’s a second word coming up and it’s "sat". "A sat ...", doesn’t make sense, "...
From one of the best, if not most widely known, Monty Python skits ever: "Novel Writing":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogPZ5CY9KoM
CYA is Cover Your Ass. If somebody texted me that I’d wonder what the hell I did this time. BEDROOMEYES is not a “longing look” but quite the opposite: a smoky, come-hither expression that might invite a longing look but is not that. Having limited contact with the Alphabet Community, (I don’t play hockey or tend rooftop gardens, either. Just the way it is.) I always have to let the crosses fill when the clue insinuates something there. This one took every down clue and even then I had to spell it out. NYT gonna NYT. ESCOOTER? Nobody says “Here, mom, I grabbed an escooter for you while we shop.” OHPUHLEASE.
Real Genius is a movie I will drop everything to watch if it’s on the guide, and one I mine for quotes in new situations to find my people. If they’re around, “KENT” in a low, menacing voice pings immediately.
Also enjoyed the "Next-to-each-other PuzzPair©️" of BEDROOM EYES and ERECTOR SET.
I suppose. I was thinking along the same lines as Rex -- longingly? With great anticipation?
I had the TG from crosses and thought "surely they wouldn't clue this as a partial with Friday's?" And then they did. At least it ran on the right day of the week.
Two vocal ranges, two mountains (one in the clues); I knew the first, but never heard of either mountain--though to be fair, if it's 3 letters in Switzerland, it's gonna be an ALP.
We eat a lot of broccoli RABE, but the spelling varies -- I've seen rabi and rapi, too. Also broccolini, though I think it might be a different kind of plant. I went with RABi at first.
I checked the clue twice to see if it could be castanet, but TAP SHOES was fine.
I know young people who have ESCOOTERS, but they don't call them that-- just scooters. But it was clear enough to get from the clue and the letter count.
I had to get CYA entirely from crosses, as I've only ever seen it as 'cover your ass.' Is it just phonetic for seeya?
Max Friday whooshiness here, as pretty much all the long answers went in after' a few letters. I wondered how many people would know PICO and those of us who have skied there did, but I'm sure to others it's a total WOE. Didn't know CIARA and "out of joint" is a "sort of" clue for FREE. Should have remembered SANAA with its oddball spelling but I haven't seen it in a while.
TIL KYAWTHUITE is the RAREST of gems. When I first glanced at the clue I thought it might be one of those underworld characters from an H, P. Lovecraft story.
Lots of ESCOOTERs on the streets in the college town just north of here, frequently at night and operated by students in dark clothing who treat traffic rules as suggestions. Makes driving exciting.
Really enjoyed your Friday, JK. Just Kind of wish it was longer as I was having lots of fun, for which thanks.
What the hell is a brocoli RABE??
Yer and Lesbian Bar? Seriously made me say Oh, Puhlease!
Finally! We end the week with a puzzle that I liked. I prefer themeless lately with some of the themed puzzles we've been hit with. I really enjoyed this one. Except for HEFT, I liked 31D SAT & 29A TAP SHOES a lot. Thank you, Joyce for renewing my faith in the NYT xword :)
Very easy. Where should I go for more challenging puzzles, besides working my way back through the NYT archive?
Would have set a personal best Friday time in the 19-minute vicinity, except the Happy Music would not play and I couldn't find the error: DeE/CHEe. I shouldn't have recognized the word play in French letter opener, but alas ...
Not much negative to say about this. Actually a pretty good Friday. My biggest mistake was immediately inserting wEthERED at 33D instead of NEUTERED. I may have mentioned this before but we have a small farm where we raise llamas and goats. It is common practise to neuter the alpha male goat so that he will lead the flock without being distracted by any gonadal yearnings. This is also common with sheep and the wethered male is often outfitted with a bell and becomes the bellwether in order to make him easily identifiable to both sheep and shepherd.
No need for the bell around the neck of Oscar, our wethered alpha. You can always locate him. He is the largest of our goats, not to mention the most ornery. He’s always looking to rip your legs apart with his 18 inch horns. I’ve broken 2 canes across his hindquarters and I’ve learned how ineffective that is. Now I take my cane and point the chrome-plated cast brass head of it towards him and use it like a pool cue to bop him in the nose. Seems to work; he may be the alpha goat but I’m the alpha being in the pasture. As long as I have my cane, that is. Anyway, wEthERED/NEUTERED held me up for a while.
Plenty of nice long answers. BEDROOM EYES is fun.
Don’t really want to tell you my first thought at 2D “French letter opener”’.
Thanks, Joyce Keller, for a fine Friday.
I assume there’s a number of solvers of a certain age (or, in my case, solvers that are parents of kids that were of a certain age) that definitely heard YEARSLATER in a very thick and fake Jacques Cousteau accent. Thanks SpongeBob.
Lots to like here! Lesbian bars, Val, Kilmer and especially Charles Mingus!!! And if you Want to find “years later” In a movie, you need to look no further than “one battle after another”
Easy-medium.
I did not know HARDER and RAREST as clued. PICO and CIARA were also WOEs.
Costly erasure - eighT before OCTET.
Solid with just a soupçon of sparkle, liked it.
Another fun solve. I liked yesterday's too but posted too late for my minority vote to count. ;-)
Since @Rex didn’t make it his WOD, here’s the result of a bit of digging around about kyawthuite.
It’s not merely the RAREST gem, it’s so rare that there is only one. It was found by gem prospectors in Myanmar, who put it up for sale at market. Dr. Kyaw Thu, a geologist, noticed it and bought it. He and colleagues in the US determined it was not like any other gem. The one and only specimen is kept at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
This one was a struggle for me, but enjoyed it. Couldn't get the West-Middle closed out (Bedroomeyes, Hue, Escooter).
Terrific childhood memory there!
https://www.fireballcrosswords.com/
I'm not as hung up on the weirdness of AS A TREAT as Rex is but I must admit I sat with ASAT____T for a while, avoiding the TREAT because it was weird.
"They really click as a pair" as TAP SHOES is a cute clue in my opinion and could also be the clue for castanets.
I think the hardest clue/answer pair for me was BASS as "One setting on speakers" which is a good misdirection for "setting".
Thanks, Joyce Keller, for a breezy TGI Friday!
Never heard of kyawthuite. Too rare for my eyes or ears.
Had nut instead of nub and couldn't see "yer" since it feels more casual than little to me; that combo destoryed lesbian bar for me. Also, PSA: as a straight lady whose been to lesbian bars with friends, some ladies at lesbian bars are not lesbians. That misdirection realllly wrecked my time since I had no idea where lestia...was going to take me. Ships...ETs...Female President of the US? 🤷♀️
Every Friday I look for Robyn.
I can't help but feel that the world took an entirely different direction in 2000, when Al Gore muttered "OH, PUH-LEASE" during one of the debates. It only cost him a few votes, but probably enough.
Can someone explain why FREE is OUT OF JOINT?
As you do crossword puzzles, you will view it as a friend, because broccoli ____ is always "RABE". I'm not sure exactly what it is--maybe it's the little greens that hang off the stalk? No, apparently it isn't even broccoli actually. But it's a green vegetable.
A TREAT of a Friday. Someone making BEDROOM EYES at the LESBIAN BAR, where maybe THIS ONE'S ON ME could work for buying a round of drinks? And a look into the future with YEARS LATER.... TAP SHOES and PRESS-ON NAILS, HAUNTS - I had a lot of fun with this one.
It occurs to me that THIS ONE'S ON ME and AS A TREAT could be cross-referenced. Perhaps the clues for 5D and 8D were editing changes. Not that I like cross-referenced clues (does anyone?) but at least we wouldn't be wondering who's hate-eating sundaes.
Broccoli Rabe (or Rapini) is - at least as I know it - an Italian-type broccoli used in Italian cuisine. It's bitter but much tastier than regular broccoli. I usually steam it & then sauté it in olive oil & a lot of garlic. Regular broccoli is boring by comparison. Try it :)
@Son Volt
Oddly clued? Not compared to yesterday — not even close. Everything was refreshingly straightforward, unlike Yes:
Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft
Pretty sure the proliferation of e-scooters — baneful, to be sure — has nothing to do with their appearance in crossword puzzles, although… who knows? Maybe they were about to be banned worldwide and the NYT just jinxed it. Or maybe they're fun, what do I know.
Have you ever tried one out? Les Claypool tried out for this other bassist guy’s spot in one of those rockabilly bands after some trouble with shady Swedish macromobility:
The Call of Ktulu
Well, I liked it! Did I mention that yesterday stunk? It was like the difference between… I don’t know… shoegazing and fugazi-ing:
Waiting Room
What a weird comment. Appreciated the links though. Even Bluebeard.
It's quite apt that AS A TREAT is crossed by OH PUHLEASE, because that's exactly what I thought when I realized it was the answer. And the latter is also crossed by THIS ONES ON ME so maybe Joyce wasn't too proud of 8 down.
Speaking of 5 down, I had a couple of typeovers for it last night.. THATS (something) ON ME... can't remember exactly. And I thought 49 across would be the name of the instrument Mingus played, but I'm not a huge jazz fan so I got it wrong: TRUMPETING! Or TROMBONING!... same number of letters.
Several Unknown Names today: DRE, PICO, CIARA, BEENE. Fortunately VAL and SANAA I knew.
@Les, WETHERED is a new word to me; good to learn one every day.
And VAL was memorable in that weird Bob Dylan movie from the early 2000s, wasn’t he, Masked and Anonymous?
But it’s Pico Peak not Pico Mountain
I’m not from Vermont but I’ve hiked up that way
Ha, Kyawthuite, Cthulhu's rival monster.
Overall, kinda easy-ish FriPuz.
Did have a few tough spots:
1. CHER/DRE crossin.
2. OHPUHLEASE spellin challenge. Nice U inclusion, tho.
3. CIARA no-know. Especially crossin that there somewhat mysterious FREE clue.
4. PICO/GOON.
staff weeject pick: YER. Like it, when the NYTXW talks like an M&A. honrable mention to: CYA, which don't talk like non-tester M&A..
other fave stuff: ERECTORSET. THISONESONME. CREATIVITY. SPARECHANGE. BEDROOMEYES. Clues for: ADDS. LESBIANBAR. TAPSHOES. TONGUE. FREE. GENES.
Thanx for the fun themelessness, Ms. Keller darlin. Nice job. And two days without an ICE entry, too boot. Like.
Masked & Anonymo4Us
p.s.
runt puzzle:
**gruntz**
I haven't done the puzzle yet, so of course haven't seen the blog - but had to say I kinda gasped when my eye fell on the clue about French letters. because you do all know what French letters are win Brit talk, yes? Sorry if lots of others have already remarked on this.
Cher is the masculine form for (adjective) chère. Chéri is the masculine form for (adjective or noun) chérie.
“Joint” = slang for “prison”
@MetroGnome. I'm guessing you don't do the grocery shopping at your place. Broccoli rabe (aka broccoli raab, or rapini) is a cruciferous veggie related to kale, brussels sprouts, and, of course, broccoli. It has long slender stems, lots of leaves, and tiny florets. It has a slightly bitter taste, kind of like mustard greens. It's really good gently boiled for 3 or 4 minutes and served with just butter and salt (to counter the bitterness, but not erase it - I actually like bitter). Don't overcook it. The stems should still be slightly crunchy.
Jinx!
FREE = out of [THE] joint (prison)
Yeah, the Mingus was nice. I also like this version by the English folk/psychedelic/rock group of the late 60s, Pentangle, featuring 2 great guitarists, John Renbourn and Bert Jansch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L_Uj9Pqaic
And then there's the Joni Mitchell version from her Mingus tribute album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5dFK3xOa58
Anonymous 12:57 - There is Pico Peak—but the ski area on the northwest side of it is called Pico Mountain ski area.
. . . and that tenor solo by John Handy is one of the all-time classic moments in American jazz -- all the more so, since it's so brilliant in its understatement. The most profound beauty can sometimes be the most subtle.
Anonymous 2:09 - Ohhhhhhhhhh! Thank you!
@Les, it just goes to show that sometimes TOO much knowledge can screw you up on a crossword! ;) Like @okanaganer, I have never heard of weathered, but I learned something else new today…other than the rarest gem, which I won’t attempt to spell now.
Yeah, except that when Mingus wrote "Faubus," the situation (as dire as it was) could still stand up to irony (as barbed and acerbic as it was). I'm afraid we're living in a post-ironic age now. The Mingus title I'd apply to our present situation would probably be "Free Cell Block F, 'Tis Nazi U.S.A."
Samesies for LesbianBae. Yee as from the Bible seemed like maybe a thing. Kyawthuite is the rarest because only 1 specimen has been found. Liked this puzzle, not asatreat but as an ordinary pleasure.
Laugh out loud comment 😃
Les -- I do ALL of the grocery shopping for myself, thank you very much. I'm just not hip to esoteric brocoli strains.
"I have an erector set!" "Oooh -- throw a towel over it!" (Firesign Theater)
I'm guessing that the inclusion of MILESTONES (one of Miles Davis's finest albums) was intentional, to go along with the Mingus reference?
Haha…yes, you are right on the ASATREAT BUT honestly one of the primary people I thought of in my comment above was my brother-in-law who treated his own concocted brownie fudge sundae (or some dessert like that) as a staple in his daily diet. He was always slender enough, but now at 75, has given up a LITTLE bit on this routine, so now even he looks at it as ASATREAT.
I figured it was a clumsy alliteration of "See ya" -- but what do I know?
The Joint as slang for prison
And it was only discovered in 2010, and officially named in 2015, so now I don't feel so bad about not having a clue as to what it is or what its properties might be. RAREST was easy enough to get from crosses, thankfully, but that clue still gets my nomination for the most arcane trivia of the year so far.
That clue took me back to some 19th century BritLit I read as a youngster and thought WTF is a French Letter in this context. The French called them a British Hood.
Worked puzzle early but late for my comment. I really liked this puzzle and I must be on Joyce Keller’s wavelength because I had my best Friday time. Except, um, not exactly because when I finished…I got the “error” message. I don’t give no never mind to streaks so I did “check puzzle” and, to my chagrin, I had forgotten I decided to change the D in SOLD to T, because I thought the Black-ish husband/dad was Tre (a variation of Trey?). Anyway, I know I DNF’d due to that, but guess what…my stats in app show today’s time as my best time. Do I care? Not really. I just find it interesting that the app recorded the time as “best” when I had to have my mistake pointed out.
Anyway, a lot to like about this puzzle for me. Got a kick out of PRESSONNAILS (the thought of doing THAT has always kind of scared me), plus remembering the drug store cologne CIARA, and finding out someone was named for it. Old designers never really “die” but is the BEENE label still sold?
I was impressed with how open the grid was. Lots of flow. I thought those two triple stacks of longs at 5, 22 & 26 Down and 21, 10 & 11 Down were great. Lots of CREATIVITY on display all over the place.
ERECTOR SET also brought back fond childhood memories. I was on an engineering track coming out of H.S. until I discovered sex, drugs and rock and roll in college and all that math and science stuff started to recede back in the rear view mirror. I still have an amateur engineering mentality these many decades later.
Never seen a puzzle where I didn't have a nit or three. Today it was with the clue for 51 Across "Out of joint?". All its misdirection or cleverness comes from the omission of "the" or "a" before "joint". Thought that was a tad disHONEST.
My favorite local taqueria makes fresh PICO de gallo salsa daily.
I also had that alternative first thought for the French letter opener -- however, with "opener" there, I considered foil or wrapper, then quickly realized neither would work.
Okay….got it
I know that pads and adds rhyme, but….. what’s so apt about this??? I’m clearly missing something.
If you pad something, you add to it. They’re synonyms, of a sort.
Very good Friday puzzle, which I appreciate all the more as a result of reading this blog. Hard for me, but look at all those clever clues! Settled on the bottom, bits in a byte, out of joint…to name a few. I did have to google PICO BEENE and DRE, as well as PRESS and I had forgotten SANAA.. The NW was the most difficult for me.
TIL about weathered goat and bellweather!
Ah…!! Thank you, because I don’t think that I wouldn’t ever come up with that!
Funny!
Re: years later. I think that phrase pretty much always appears with a number. Ten years later. Three months later. Six years earlier.
That’s how I took it as well.
What @Rex said, but I saw many more highs than lows. Stellar cluing on LESBIANBAR and some other very pretty long fill. OHPUHLEASE gave me some hear burn but everything else popped pretty well for me. Very much liked BEDROOMEYES, PRESSONNAILS, THISONESONME and SPARECHANGE (Wait, is that all of the long ones?? OK, I very much liked all of them, sue me.)
I had to work hard to get to those moments of crossword joy but it was well worth it and it's what I look forward to in a Friday.
Some great stuff here, Joyce! Thanks so much for this!
This old timer has actually ridden the railway over the RIGI thatks to that Great Railways show on PBS. Fun!
One letter wrong today, the last letter in SANAA, and I’m so glad I erred. It set me off on an exploration of the capital of Yemen, a place of which I was thoroughly ignorant. I found remarkable architecture in a breathtaking setting. Every so often, it pays to screw up.
@Les, thanks - never knew that about the wethered alpha male. Also thanks for the phrase, "gonadal yearnings." :-))
The Erector Set was invented as a way to keep your child out of your hair for HOURS. Worked for my mother!
DAVinHOP
There is a long complicated story about Fribbles and similar concoctions in ice cream/diner chains in New England. Friendly’s was in my state for years (since left I think)but a local chain has. a very similar drink called the Awful Awful. It was founded about the time I was born , mid century, and it purchased the name from a defunct Massachusetts chain. In short, change the name of the drink and I can relate!
Why the name? Awful Big Awful Good.was on the glasses
Lewis. I liked the puzzle more than Rex. But I had no joy in the ALP clue. I saw Switzerland and a name I didn’t recognize ( I probably did see the PBSshow!) and a 3 letter answer. Must be alp. They do it too often for it to be a misdirect. at least to me. Liked the others you mentioned.
FWIW Andrew Z we got the word cherish out of this French word. And I am sure the French word influenced Cher’s name.( not her original name) It will probably show up again.
Jberg
Broccoli RABE
The confusion comes from the difference between standard Italian and Americanized Italian dialects. Broccoli rape is standard Italian. (Broccolini is something else I think). When I was a kid it was mostly just called and spelled rabe. But in the Italian American community as most lost their connection to Italian dialects, all sorts of spellings proliferated. But rabe , without the word broccoli, is what I saw the most of. In the last few decades, the formal Italian has also made its appearance. So I wasn’t sure if it was a p or b until the cross. I always pronounce it in the dialect way with a b, also omitting the word broccoli.
Les Thanks for informing me where the US political term bellwether state came from. As the agonizingly slow results came in certain bellwether states would offer a hint to how things were trending. Now I know the origin of the term!
Teedman
Too late to comment but I hate hot fudge sundaes!
Really loved the writing/tone of this puzzle but shoulda been a Wednesday.
As A T1 diabetic for 43 years I can't look at a hot fudge sundae as anything but a significant medical decision. Even with an insulin pump and CGM I'm looking at a trip on the glucose roller coaster for the next 12 hours at least. It's not just a treat, it's a science experiment!
I must have been in a literal frame of mind.
"She's out there!" ? Okay, I guess you're expected to go find 'her' there. Had NUT for 4D. Never imagined 'out' as intended til Rex spelled it OUT for me.
Loved YER - I sneak it in wherever I can. Maybe a lingering Popeye crush from childhood.
49D - CYA - is only "Cover your A$$" to me.
Thought 10D was SMALL CHANGE
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