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Low-priced car introduced in 1980 / SAT 4-4-26 / Fulfillment center? / Tourist hotspot in Uttar Pradesh / Fashionable stars of showbiz, slangily / Conceited sort, disrespectfully / F or G but not H / Member of a militant Islamist movement in Afghanistan and Pakistan / Famous french filmmaker who was the son of a famous painter / One side of the college football rivalry branded as "America's Game" / Figures in the films "Kazaam" and "Wishmaster"
Saturday, April 4, 2026
Constructor: Royce Ferguson
Relative difficulty: Easy (if you knew most of the many names, which I did)
Word of the Day: JEAN RENOIR (58A: Famous french filmmaker who was the son of a famous painter) —
Jean Renoir (French: [ʁənwaʁ]; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French filmmaker, actor, producer and author. His La Grande Illusion (1937) and The Rules of the Game (1939) are often cited by critics as among the greatest films ever made. In 2002, he was ranked fourth on the BFI's Sight & Sound poll of the greatest directors. Among numerous honours accrued during his lifetime, he received a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award in 1975. Renoir was the son of the painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir and the uncle of the cinematographer Claude Renoir. With Claude, he made The River (1951), the first color film shot in India. A lifelong lover of theater, Renoir turned to the stage for The Golden Coach (1952) and French Cancan (1955). He was one of the first filmmakers to be known as an auteur; the critic Penelope Gilliatt said a Renoir shot could be identified "in a thousand miles of film."Pauline Kael wrote that "At his greatest, Jean Renoir expresses the beauty in our common humanity—the desires and hopes, the absurdities and follies, that we all, to one degree or another, share." Per The New York Times: "The style that ran through Mr. Renoir's films — a mixture of tenderness, irony and Gallic insouciance‐was caught in a famous line from his 1939 masterpiece, The Rules of the Game. It was spoken by Octave, played by the director himself: 'You see, in this world, there is one awful thing, and that is that everyone has his reasons.'” (wikipedia)
• • •
If the longer answers were, on average, just OK, the shorter stuff was worse than usual, I think. Lots and lots of overfamiliar, super-crosswordy stuff: SUPES, ARYA, ALIA, ALTA, SRO, stuff like that. EOCENE, AGRA, that spelling of GENII (which assumes the singular "genius" (!?)). Meh. The grid was also very name-heavy. I got name-lucky, in that JEAN RENOIR and Dennis LEHANE were both gimmes for me, and I was at least familiar with all the other names in the grid (even ARYA, which I am familiar with against my will, only because crosswords have forced the issue). There's also OPRAH and CECE and GAYE and SERRA and SVEN, and there could easily have been golfer Ernie ELS as well, but the crossword wisely chose to take that answer in a "letteral" direction (29A: Fulfillment center?) (two "L"s (ELS) sit at the "center" of the word "Fulfillment" ... they're a little off-center, actually, but I think I'm gonna let that slide).
When's the last time anyone saw a YUGO! (in real life or in the grid)? (37A: Low-priced car introduced in 1980). It's been decades since I've seen one in the wild. Looks like it's been less than four years since the last crossword appearance for YUGO. Bizarrely (but also predictably), despite having its one moment of glory in the 1980s, the YUGO didn't appear in the NYTXW until 2010 (!?). Since then it's appeared six more times. YUGO is turning out to be far more popular as a piece of crossword nostalgia than it ever was as a car. The YUGO was marketed in the U.S. between 1985 and 1992. YUGOs were actually produced through 2008, but the car was withdrawn from U.S. markets in the early '90s due to U.N. sanctions on Yugoslavia. "Despite moderate success during its run in the United States and several other export markets, it was criticized for its design, poor safety, and reliability, though the car has also picked up a cult following" (wikipedia).
Bullets:
- 49A: Sold-out inits. (SRO) — Sold Right Out!
- 1D: Lunchbox staples, for short (PBJS) — dropped PBJS in immediately but then withdrew it when I couldn't think of a type of RYE that started with "J" (!???). I honestly had SEEDED RYES in there for a bit (17A: Popular loaves for corned beef sandwiches).
- 2D: "Twist, Lick, Dunk" product (OREO) — apparently OREO is gearing up for some kind of promotional "Twist, Lick Dunk Challenge" right now, with an embossed "Twist Lick Dunk" cookie and everything. This article about the campaign is from just five days ago. The OREOverse is vast. And yes, OREOverse is a valid word. From their website:
- 11D: Waste watchdog, in short (EPA) — gotta quit pretending this government is meaningfully "watching" anything. It's laughable.
- 44D: Someone having mixed success at work? (DEE JAY) — DJs create mixes, which is what the clue is punning on: "DJs commonly use audio equipment that can play at least two sources of recorded music simultaneously. This enables them to blend tracks together to create transitions between recordings and develop unique mixes of songs" (wikipedia).
- 54D: Like some tongues (TIED) — me: "PINK!" Too much time around kitties and puppies (and humans, I guess).
- 55D: One side of the college football rivalry branded as "America's Game" (ARMY) — LOL "America's Game." I think most "Americans" care about as much about this rivalry as they do about Harvard-Yale. "America's Game"!? I remember when the Atlanta Braves used to style themselves as "America's Team" ... because their games were on TBS and so could be seen across the country (which was not true of other teams, back in the days before MLB streaming packages). "America's Game" is about as convincing as "America's Team," is what I'm saying. You can say it, but ...
That's all. See you next time.
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137 comments:
Easy. Inoffensive. Not enough "crunch" for a Saturday.
* * * _ _
Overwrites:
loST instead of PAST for gone at 56A
I should have known that "America's Game" involved ARMY, but the only four-letter college I could think of initially was ucla.
WOEs:
Junipero SERRA at 7D
ARYA Stark at 8D. Never watched GoT.
Author Dennis LEHANE at 47A
15:47 for me, so I think that’s medium on a Saturday. 68 words, 28 black squares, and just 6 three-letter answers. Lots of wide open space in this one! The stacks are all really solid and there’s not too much junk. Had a little quibble with the clue on ELS, since the “EL”s in question are not exactly in the center of fulfillment. I guess when you look at the word they are dead center, but if you are counting letters they’re off. But anyhoo… I thought this had lots of great sparkling fill, from a SPACESHOT to Junipero SERRA to JEWISHRYES and SOLDIERANTS…. All such colorful stuff! Yesterday’s theme was all about food… today is more about Hollywood and fame…. The OSCAR HOSTS were definitely considered members of the GLITTERATI, and right after the show we heard they GOTENGAGED. There’s definitely some MICA in their makeup! The GOLDEN in GOLDENRULE fits that mini-theme too. Lotsa fun this morning! Don’t be a POMPOUSASS, just admit it, you loved this puzzle! YESINDEEDY! **** from me! Thanks, Royce, for a terrific Saturday AM solve! : )
Finished it without cheating, but only after multiple changes..."tamer" to TAMED, "blt" to PBJ, "ill" to ELS, and "secret donor" to SECRETSANTA.
I agree with Rex about the Army-Navy game's patriotic appeal. The Dallas Cowboys used to claim status (absurdly) as "America's Team," when all people remembered Dallas for was JFK's murder and the cover-up.
I dropped in SPACESHIP without checking the last two crosses and I had to go back and fix it at the end of my solve.
ARYA Stark is crossword-friendly but ROBB Stark also exists. So I had that crossing SOLDIER BEES (that was a guess, but it looks like they're a thing, though the term SOLDIER is used much more commonly for ANTS).
Turns out I've seen a YUGO in the grid recently. It was in the March 21st 2026 WSJ crossword (and I didn't know about it). [Small imported car of the '80s, made much bigger?] clued INFLATED YUGO in a puzzle with a sound-changing theme (long E to long U).
For 44D - the mixed success at work clue, had the DE start and confidently wrote in DEALER (for mixing cards). That slowed me down for a bit.
Apparently "Jewish" rye is a thing, but I don't know that anyone has ever asked for a sandwich on "Jewish rye" or a breakfast side of "Jewish rye, toasted please." Meanwhile, it's Passover, folks!!
Genii is plural for genie. Kazaam has Shaq as a rapping genie. Wishmaster has an evil genie called the Djinn.
EMAIL ScAM and cAST was a Natick for me--gone could be a definition of "cast" (as in "the die"), and I had a lot of trouble with this. The SE was harder for me (took me longer to get JEAN RENOIR than it did @Rex), but that C/P square killed me. Agree with @Rex on the rest--although I had marble RYE at first, which made me doubt PBJS, but no one put corned beef on marble RYE, and I finally had an "aha" moment with the J. Anyway, not a bad Saturday overall.
I liked the puzzle - it just isn’t Saturday appropriate - simple as that. 10 stacks everywhere - mostly splashy and fun. JEWISH RYES, BREAK SERVE, YES INDEEDY are all top notch. Didn’t have as much agita with POMPOUS ASS as the big guy did.
Sunday in Savannah
JEAN RENOIR is fine fill but I don’t love using a full proper name for all that real estate. LEHANE was new for me but the crosses were easy enough. No real pushback anywhere in the grid. The term of the day is GOLDEN RULE.
West LA Fadeaway
Agree with Rex on TALIB - doesn’t pass the breakfast test. I didn’t have an issue with the shorts - nothing overly gluey. Had a friend in college who drove a YUGO for a short time. SPACE SHOT is timely - good luck to our Artemis crew.
Don’t Be Denied
A fine and enjoyable solve - just not for a Saturday morning. Today we get a Stumper from Stan himself - becoming rarer these days. Huge corner stacks and definitely more of a challenge than this one.
One Less Set of Footsteps
In German-speaking places, “H” is a NOTE (= “B natural”) vs. “B” (= “B flat”)
All but the SE lickety dropped in and then clapping in SILENT DONOR (after quashing CECE) at 50a - esp. on its agreement with LENS, BETATRON, NOTE - put me in left field.
DJ leapt out at 44d straightaway on entering this home stretch - but not spelling out the letters. And MEANIE - though it wuddnt agree wiv 'doNor.' And DAY at 41d, yes, but not as a possessive. (DAYDUSK.. ? iz not a thing.) And RENOIR, minus the given.
Worse yet, my devotion to college ball was not resolving 55d. I never consult during game play and rarely explore any of the bootless flotsam after - but this was an exception. After curtains, I learned "America's Game" was hatched 16 or so years ago in the PR dept of my insurance co., since seized on by the Grifter and Executive Order. Massively loyal member, ever loathe to see them associated with sponsorships, as, who is paying for that ? We are. That cloo, weak sauce.
So staring at the remainder a full 2 min, fell asleep on the game - a fail by my one-sitting count. On waking and another look, no great revelation, but I scrubbed SilenT, dropped in SECRET and CECE went back in. The G and E at 48a and I finally let go of doNor as well. Then the game quickly closed - could 48d be that odd plural which noone ever uses? Yess, etcetera.
I'd left the trailing cell at 34d blank thinking it might be a Loa-Kea (more clearly, ambinym, kahpeesh ?!), but then, would the constructor cough up two -II plurals? So, slapped in an 'A', finishing free of error. YES, INDEEDY drew a nostalgic chuckle, as my dad would say that.
But, not entertaining.
Hey All !
Not sure how many will say this, but GENII is the plural of GENIE, no? Unless Rex was being facetious. (Like his SRO thing.)
Had marbledrye in first for JEWISHRYES, wondering why the answer was singular when the clue called for a plural. Suppose I could've changed it to marbleRYE, but that's the ole brain being silly again. Besides, I believe it's marbled, not marble.
Anyway, nice, fairly easy SatPuz. Got bogged down a bit in SW, had SECRETdoNor in for a bit, the clue on CECE was a no-know, and had sunSEts in for DAYS END for a bit. Managed to untangle my mess, and finish solving. Did have three errors, though. The A/I conundrum at LEHANE/ALIA (had the I), a U for the O at MISO/TAO (trying to help out @M&A), and mETATRON/TALIm.
Some nice longer answers today. Overall enjoyable puz.
Have a great Saturday!
No F's - Aw POOP! Need an ACTION ITEM memo about putting in F's. YES INDEEDY. 😁
RooMonster
DarrinV
I love the moment when I add a single letter (from a cross) to a long answer that’s been stymie-ing me, and suddenly my brain sees the answer. Today’s puzzle, with its 18 longs, brought those happy pings again and again.
I also love being stuck in an area – as I was in the SE today – going over the clues to the answers that are eluding me, again and again, waiting for that sweet moment when the answer to one flashes, then it does, and suddenly the whole section falls. As the SE did, with a rush.
I liked uncovering DAYS END, which, like yesterday’s FRET NOT, is a phrase I never use, but has such a lovely lilting quality, that I want to try to use it.
I liked the cross of PBJ and JEWISH RYE, because that sounds like an intriguing combination to try.
Sometimes I come into the box neutral, go through highs and lows, and by completion I feel like I had a genuine experience and that my day has been better for it. This was one of those puzzles, and thank you, Royce, for making it!
Soldier bees first. Marble rye. Well before the Braves were America’s team the Dallas Cowboys were. You could look it up!
Having grown up in a Redskins (as they were once called) family, I can attest to how ridiculous was the presumption that the Cowboys were "America's Team" in any way, shape, or form. Says who and whose ARMY?
Wheelhouses. Today I dropped in Junipero SERRA without hesitation, then saw the next clue was for a Game of Thrones character whose name could be any combination of four letters as far as I know.
Like Rex, I was delighted to see JEAN RENOIR in his full-name glory. I’m kinda lukewarm on his father’s stuff, but Jean’s film brought me a lot of joy in my younger years. Time to go back and rewatch some of those classics.
Last letter in today: “correcting” ALIi to ALIA. Felt so sure about that one that I looked it up afterward. “Et alia” refers to things, “et alii” to people. I guess that makes me a people person (though Mrs. Freude, familiar with my curmudgeonliness, might dispute that).
All but the SE lickety dropped in and then clapping in SILENT DONOR (after quashing CECE) at 50a - esp. on its agreement with LENS, BETATRON, NOTE - put me in left field.
DJ leapt out at 44d straightaway on entering this home stretch - but not spelling out the letters. And MEANIE - though it wuddnt agree wiv 'doNor.' And DAY at 41d, yes, but not as a possessive. (DAYDUSK.. ? iz not a thing.) And RENOIR, minus the given.
Worse yet, my devotion to college ball was not resolving 55d. I never consult during game play and rarely explore any of the bootless flotsam after - but this was an exception. After curtains, I learned "America's Game" was hatched 16 or so years ago in the PR dept of my insurance co., since seized on by the Grifter and Executive Order. Massively loyal member, ever loathe to see them associated with sponsorships, as, who is paying for that ? We are. That cloo, weak sauce.
So staring at the remainder a full 2 min, fell asleep on the game - a fail by my one-sitting count. On waking and another look, no great revelation, but I scrubbed SilenT, dropped in SECRET and CECE went back in. The G and E at 48a and I finally let go of doNor as well. Then the game quickly closed - could 48d be that odd plural which noone ever uses? Yess, etcetera.
I'd left the trailing cell at 34d blank thinking it might be a Loa-Kea (more clearly, ambinym, kahpeesh ?!), but then, would the constructor cough up two -II plurals? So, slapped in an 'A', finishing free of error. YES, INDEEDY drew a nostalgic chuckle, as my dad would say that.
But, not entertaining.
Very annoying natick at ET ALIA/I and TEHANE (which could have been TEHINE for all anyone knows)
Got hung up on one square, which was the "A" between LEHANE and ALIA. Extremely frustrating that the puzzle forces you to know LEHANE; "LEHINE" isn't obviously wrong (I frankly don't know anyone with either surname), and ET ALII is roughly as common, if not more, than ET ALIA. Hrgh!
I enjoyed this more than Rex but (again) it was too easy for a Saturday - 12:45 for me - I expect much more resistance from Friday and Saturday puzzles.
I loved the Yugo clue - I worked with a couple from Australia in 1986 - he and his wife spent many a Saturday at our house, him working on the Yugo which was newish but constantly had problems. She brought the wine - lots of it - and we finished off the day with dinner and more wine. Other than the car problems, those were fun times.
I’m finding Saturdays to be a little more enjoyable when I form a strategic partnership and solve along with my Uncle Google. Since I know going in that I’m going to encounter a few EOCENE, DAYSEND, BETATRON, TALIB, or ARYA type answers, I prefer to judiciously defer to my Uncle rather than struggle through section after section when I bump into things I don’t know and won’t remember five minutes after I close out of the app.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I know I would definitely get a few strange looks if I ever used DAYSEND in casual conversation (yes, I might say “come days end” or something like that - I blame it on too many NYT grids).
This one at least had enough sections to keep us mere mortals interested - the SW with its GLITTERATI and OSCAR HOSTS did Hollywood about as well as it can be done without bombarding us with proper names. The NW and NE had strong longer answers as well.
I’m not a good enough Saturday solver to offer an informed opinion on ideal rating criteria, but as a thought experiment if I imagine what a stellar effort from Robyn would be like, and peg that at five stars, then OFL’s two and a half seems like a valid assessment of this one.
One could argue that SRO doesn't equate to sold out, since it suggests they're still selling tickets to people who don't mind standing.
Two puzzles this week with no Fs.... : /
I found this to be nicely in the easy-but-not-too-easy category except for the SE, where I ended up cheating on YESINDEEDY (does that make it a DNF?) I thought GENIE was the answer for 48D but since it was obviously a plural I was flummoxed. Couldn’t come up with that spelling. Also did not know CECE and had keys before NOTE, even though I should have realized that was singular! Also BETATRON was hard to come by.
I did enjoy the puzzle though!
Medium, I reckon. To be honest, it didn't excite me much; it was only SO-SO. I found the bottom stack more elegant than the top. Within the colonnades, I liked GLITTERATI more than the other entries, but that isn't saying much.
GENII is a plural for "genie" or "genius", but I'm pretty sure that the only plural I've heard for "genius" IRL is "geniuses". As in, "Man, the geniuses at the Genius Bar really messed up my computer this time; do you know a good computer repair person?" GENII there would just sound wrong.
I haven't seen the word BETATRON in many moons. The most fun discovery I made this morning, in connection with the puzzle, was learning that one of the proposals for what to call the thing was a German whopper (obviously tongue-in-cheek):
Außerordentlichehochgeschwindigkeitselektronenentwickelndesschwerarbeitsbeigollitron
= "Hard working by golly machine for generating extraordinarily high velocity electrons". Have fun with that, kids!
I think you’ve got another Natick you might’ve missed…
JEWISH RYE is any rye with the crust cut off.
It always saddens me to see how much negativity Rex brings to these reviews. The interesting commentary that he makes about the puzzles is often overshadowed by unnecessary and unwelcome editorial asides about the way the puzzle makes him feel. It's a shame.
I first visited Manhattan, for a weekend, in the summer of 1964, when every subway car had an ad picturing someone clearly not Jewish (Native American, Black, Asian, etc.) eating bread with the caption "You don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's! Real Jewish rye bread." So that one was easy. And Dennis Lehane's early novels were all set in Dorchester MA, where I lives, so I knew that one, too.
But the center of fulfillment? I didn't count how many times I counted the letters, hoping that I had got it wrong, so that the answer could be ELS. But no, the center is a single L, but since three letters were needed it had to be iLl. I can't shrug it off--it's not like there are not other words that can be used -- we've all seen them. Or you could go with the trains.
I got SERRA from the crosses without noticing him. He has been accused of terrible crimes by Native American activists, but then Pope Francis made him a saint; I don't know enough to have an opinion on that.
A day where I enjoyed Rex’s musical picks more than the puzzle itself. That band could change your life.
Jewish rye is available in most major supermarkets where I live. Interestingly enough, about the only time I ever buy it is to make a corned beef sandwich.
So PBJS led to JEWISHRYES and then I was done. Well, almost. Very whooshy Saturday--ARYA from crosswords, LEHANE we just talked about in the Mystic River puzzle, the Y from ARMY (or could have been NAVY) led to YESINDEEDY, and on and on. SPACESHOT is top of mind (go moon team!) and the only thing that was somewhat foreign was the BETATRON, which sounds like sci-fi. The YUGO was a punchline for years.
Very smooth Saturdecito, RF. Just went Really Fast. Thanks for some speedy fun.
So disappointing to have to end up on the complete guess between ALIA/LEHANE or ALIi/LEHiNE. Such pleasure as I had gained to that point - and it was modest, but present - was partially (largely) offset by that regrettable finish.
A solid Saturday that made me work a little but not so much that I didn’t enjoy it. Finished the entire puzzle except the top four stacks where PBJS was my only entry. The rest was blank - completely blank. A light bulb finally appeared over USHER OUT which gave me POMPOUS and was all I needed to break it open. However I barely avoided a Natick with names S-RRA/A-YA and not having even an inkling of an idea what “ad out” meant in the 15A clue for BREAKS SERVE. Thankfully, it became obvious after getting the V in SVEN. I didn’t understand the clue for LET either, but at least that’s a tennis term I’ve heard before.
Seemed like a lot of names, will be interested in Gary’s grid gauge figures. But overall, very nice clueing and a manageable degree of difficulty made this a pleasure to solve.
We had a puzzle last year where the theme was different types of rye bread, which was the first time I heard of Jewish rye - or that there were any different types of rye bread.
JJK…the blog lingo is hard to keep up with. I mean, I ALWAYS “finish” a puzzle but pretty sure DNF here means “finish without cheating.” I personally consider finding a “typo” I’ve made in a puzzle through “check puzzle” as a “clean finish” but some would consider that a DNF. How we define success is personal. I’ve found certain puzzles where I had to cheat very enjoyable (and I might learn something) and some puzzles (same day of week) I sail through to be more tepid. It’s all good!
Humph, I thought Rex would like this one.
It’s odd. I thought yesterday’s puzzle was much easier than today’s. Yet, I had a DNF yesterday and I was able to complete today’s. They always keep me guessing.🎈🎈🎊🎊
How NOEM offers condolences to Bondi: EMAILSPAM. Actually, I was going to email Pam with a sarcasm-laden message starting "Where's the Dow now, bee-atch" the night I heard she got fired but I decided to sleep on it and DAYSEND a nastier one.
Preacher to Hooker Deedy: YESINDEEDY.
Hope @Gary Jugert doesn't make me part of a uniclue involving the top row. And speaking of which, here's my 2 step recipe for raw eggs: BREAKSERVE.
Arrived in Mexico yesterday afternoon. Perfect weather. Wonderful little town. Got internet. ITRIEDTO do this puzzle and I succeeded. Had fun. Thanks, Royce Ferguson.
It was the first answer I plopped in, supremely confident that it was marbleRYE, because that's my fave for corned beef or pastrami or Reubens. How often, when I just KNOW an answer is right, I'm wrong!
Really disliked this puzzle for a number of the same reasons as Rex. Way too easy for a Saturday. Almost no pushback at all. I knew most of the names but the ones I didn’t fell in from crosses so easily I didn’t even notice several of them. And then the inexcusable choice to make me think of both the Taliban and the American Taliban (EPA) on a Saturday morning.
I liked this a lot - this was a great Saturday. Not too hard, not too easy, for me anyway. WOES = LEHANE, BETATRON. Really liked ELS (not the golfer for once), TAMED.
Thank you, Royce :)
The Catholic High School in San Mateo, CA is named for Junipero Serra. Tom Brady played football there. Serra might have slaughtered Native Americans, but so did Andrew Jackson and many other American "heroes."
@ Beezer 👍
But if you check the puzzle don't you lose your streak?
I always enjoy a Saturday that initially gives me resistance and I manage to prevail without a cheat, but I can see why many would find the entries a bit “meh,” or that there were too many propers.
Unlike Rex, I kind of liked seeing POMPOUSASS…met some IRL, but of course we are all familiar with a certain one these days.
GLITTERATI was a glittery answer and I was a bit surprised how long it took me to figure out that Crystal and Rock were OSCARHOSTS even though (duh) Rock was capitalized.
I can do without seeing ACTIONITEM. It’s been a few years since I’ve had to endure “office speak” but I don’t miss hearing things like “let’s put a pin in this and circle back” and “what are the deliverables that came out of this meeting?”
That is a stitch, especially the “by golly”!
Record time for me (9:14) for a Saturday - just breezed through it. NW dropped in as fast as I could type and the only thing that slowed me down was stopping to catch my breath.
Isn’t SRO short for Standing Room Only?
And—the 2025 Army-Navy game was the highest rated college football game on CBS last year, with over 7 million viewers. I’m
Not sure Harvard-Yale is even televised.
There was a whole slew of Yugo jokes back when there were Yugos. The jokes were about as bad as the cars. But that was okay, a bad joke won't leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere (probably).
Why were Yugos equipped with rear defrosters? To keep your hands warm when you pushed them. How do you double the value of a Yugo? Fill the tank. What makes a Yugo go faster? A tow truck. You get the idea.
My favorite (non-Yugo) bad car line was from a call in to Car Talk, the great old radio show on NPR. Some poor fellow called in with a litany of problems with his lemon of a car. And either Ray or Tom said "You must be a student." And the other one said "Or, worse, a professor." Ouch.
That’s what I was going to say! Bach would have some words to say about this clue, as he famously hides his name—B-A-C-H—in a number of his pieces.
¡Dios no lo quiera!
Zoomed along agog at my prowess until Winans and Kazaam crossed somebody RENOIR and LEHANE could've gone in too many directions to see DEEJAY spelled out ... like it's a real job or something. So that little thicket stopped me for a terribly unpleasant amount of time.
I'm gonna say I will almost certainly never know a gospel singer answer. I'm kinda surprised there are Grammys for it, but probably some of it isn't awful. I assume they must gather up knowledgeable insiders to parcel out the task of handing out Grammys. It would be a lot to know cowboy music, gospel music, rap, comedy albums, jazz, classical, audio books, metal, death metal, alt pop, show tunes, and the like. Every year they probably need to order more trophies than the last year as they make up new and ever weirder sound categories. I do know if you take a walk in the woods and take the road less traveled you'll run into Grammy winners sitting on a stump with Tony winners. They're usually resting after beating up a book award winner.
They had to promise us twice that JEAN RENOIR is famous when he quite clearly is not. Not so much GLITTERATI as they might wish.
People: 10 {just had to do one more, eh?}
Places: 2
Products: 5
Partials: 6
Foreignisms: 1
--
Gary's Grid Gunk Gauge: 24 of 68 (35%)
Funny Factor: 2 😕
Tee-Hee: POMPOUS ASS POOP.
Uniclues:
1 Ova for the overtly overweening. {Kinda proud of this one.}
2 Eensy erg of extra energy for the winner. {And yes, that's a cop out uniclue in deference to our beloved moderator who doesn't need to be dealing with that, uh, not very dignified word.}
3 My first thought when I start my car after my wife changed the radio station.
4 Stealth gift giver with an overly busy lap.
5 How your lunch promises to help you lose weight and get rich at the same time by clicking here.
6 Those eschewing meat dresses for cookie suits.
7 Obvious solution to hearing ABBA yet again.
8 When you find yourself in an Applebee's at 6 pm.
9 *Unless they're stupid, in which case you can treat 'em however ya want.
10 Star Wars fans.
1 POMPOUS ASS EGGS
2 BREAK SERVE POOP
3 GOD NO ... HIT SONGS
4 SRO SECRET SANTA
5 PBJS EMAIL SPAM
6 OREO GLITTERATI
7 USHER OUT DEEJAY
8 SOSO DAYS END
9 GOLDEN RULE NOTE
10 SPACE SHOT ARMY
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: Statement from a Sixth Sense adjacent doctor using a stethoscope after you swallowed a tiny shopping center. I HEAR NANO-MART.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Neither team had any claim to it.
Army-Navy is often the most watched regular season college game on CBS and is known for higher viewership than many bowl games. There’s probably not much overlap between those viewers and NYTXW solvers, it’s fair to say. But hyping it up as America’s Game isn’t completely absurd.
Here’s to you, YUGO. You cost less than $5,000, were ugly, broke down again and again, were called by Time magazine “the worst car ever”, and were so basic that it seemed that someone with a six-pack and a screwdriver could take you apart in an afternoon.
Yet, you never pretended to be more than you were, you were accessible, and you had the best of intentions. Your body had its faults, but your heart was impeccable.
You engendered laughs; you engendered warm smiles. You had fans and detractors. Your day in the sun was brief yet vivid.
Here’s to you, Yugo, the Little Car That Could … and did.
I'm far from expert but for some reason, I found this puzzle way too easy, about Tues-Wed level. I skimmed over it later and found not one amusing clue. The plethora of names didn't slow me; I was able to work them out from the crossings. My rating: two stars.
Gerry
Genii isn't "get the pitchforks out" bad, but it's definitely "I hope Royce steps on a Lego" levels of annoying
Marble RYES before JEWISH
SPACE SHip before SHOT
nAvY before ARMY
diana before OPRAH
Never sure if it's bEbE or CECE
Otherwise no sticking points, at least for long. Super easy Saturday. 15:41
If I hadn't splatzed YESIreebob down at 62A with no crosses, I would have had only one write-over today. SPACE SHip but I know of the oft joked-about YUGO so that fixed itself.
Getting 1D, 2D and 3D right off the bat meant POMPOUS ASS only needed me to check if it fit. I had never seen a TALIB without its AN tacked on but that was an easy guess with TALI_ in place.
GENII - I just read a graphic novel that was recommended by a friend, "Eight Billion Genies". The premise is that whenever Earth's population reaches 8 billion, everyone gets a genie with one wish. As you might imagine, horrors ensue. It was pretty good, very thought-provoking.
Royce Ferguson, thanks for the nicely constructed Saturday puzzle.
(Far too easy though).
Before you unpack that action item, keep in mind there should always be a paper trail and progress will be ongoing. Also if you should encounter a disconnect in the synergy, you can always take it off-line. 😖😉😄
The little car that could. YES INDEEDY, it certainly did. Years ago when I was between vehicles, a friend loaned me his white Yugo convertible and I drove it for about a month. It was a little frightening when pulling out into traffic, but it got me where I needed to go, and I was grateful for it.
PBJS and EGGS gave me easy entry into the corners, and since luck of the draw provided me all of the names, this one went by fast. It was fun to see JEAN RENOIR over the movie-set directive "ACTION!" (which the Web tells me is the same in French). I wished 27D could have been clued as "____centric," matching HELIO's spot in the center of the grid.
Nfl Films’s Bob Ryan says so. And he said it brilliantly. “They appear on tv so often that their faced are as familiar to the piblic as presidents and movie stars. They are the Dallas Cowboys. America’s team.”
He was correct. The fact that they’re still cslled that is a testament to that fact.
@SouthsideJohnny 8:07 AM
Uncle Go-ogle is a legitimate solving partner. The constructors and editors use his help, why shouldn't we? Also, that's how we learn things instead of "winning" by stitching a bunch of crosses together in a meaningless series of letters. There's a few early morning goobers roaming around here eager to call it cheating when it's really called learning. God love 'em though, they're their own Unkie G, and all they need in life they already gots.
Saint Junipier Serra. And he slaughtered no one.
Harvard Yale is almost always televised. For many years PBS carried an Ivy game each Saturday of the seaon. And without fail they televised Harvard Yale even if another game was to decide the conference title.
These days its either on reginal sports network or one of the satellite ESPN channels
@jb129…I pay no attention to whatever the “streak” biz is. Do people get a free Games subscription? I’m kidding (or AM I?) but I confess I don’t get why people care about that. For instance…I think you also “lose” your streak if you don’t solve before a certain time (10 pm ET?). Why feel like you have to work a puzzle if you’re busy with things?
Yes, easy. The NW was early week easy for me and the rest was pretty whooshy.
TALIB was it for WOEs.
Costly erasures/spelling errors - I had RENOIR as RENioR at first and TAMEr before TAMED (which I blame on the clue).
Not much junk and a bit of sparkle, liked it more than @Rex did.
Having been to Army football games at West Point, I’ll put in a word of support for calling the Army/Navy game America’s Game. I was up there shortly after 9/11 and watching the cadets cheering wildly in the stands, knowing what might be in their immediate futures, was very moving. No matter what you feel about our current military activities (Stop it, say I), the young people who commit themselves to our Nation’s defense deserve our gratitude. And, the Army/Navy game can be a celebration of that support. Great pageantry, even when a certain carrot-top decides to impose himself on it.
Totally cheating. When you give up, then you can go to google
Evidently I’m the only person to find this one tough! Never heard of Jewish Rye (live in Virginia), still don’t get 15A (obviously a tennis thing, but I solve the print version and was sure “ad out” was a typo), and both 7D and 8D were complete unknowns.
@egsforbreakfast 9:23 AM
OMG. First draft totally had an @egs uniclue with EGGS and SASS, it was all going so great, but POMPOU wouldn't cooperate, and while you're many things, POMPOUS isn't one of them. Also, I think I can see you from here. Have fun underneath me.
Well, there’s cheating, and then there’s house rules. Case in point: Mrs. Freude and I play Scrabble with a couple of house rules, the more important of which is that we draw nine tiles instead of seven. Why? Because nine tiles fit on the rack, and because it speeds the game up and allows more interesting words. Our Scrabble purist friends are shocked, but we enjoy the way the game wraps up just as we reach the end of a good jazz album and a cocktail. Perfect timing. Cheating? I’d rather call it house rules.
So google away, those of you who like to go-ogle.
Put me in Camp Liked It. Would’ve been a fun Friday puzzle IMO.
Sparkly MICA/GLITTERATI cross.
Wasn’t the YUGO a deathtrap?
My problem with LEHANE wasn’t the vowel. It was me inexplicably putting in SRi instead of SRO. With OSCAR_iSTS the only thing I could come up with was liSTS AND LELaNE. My pen sometimes has a mind of its own, and it’s just not that bright.
POMPOUS ASS brought back a treasured memory of playing in a rehearsal with my former teacher, Denny. The conductor had an oversized ego but good taste in music so we put up with his self-applause. That day he said something particularly ridiculous and Denny came back (in his best deadpan style) with “John, you’re such a POMPOUS ASS.” The mental image of that moment still makes me chuckle.
Speaking of mental image, NPR aired an interview with someone who doesn’t have access to his “mind’s eye” - Alex Rosenthal, an editorial director at TED. The condition is called aphantasia, and there are varying degrees. “It turns out that the mind's eye is a spectrum. On one end are about 2- to 4% of us with aphantasia, and at the other extreme is hyperphantasia. That's where you can visualize in exquisite detail, sometimes even able to superimpose what you're imagining on reality. That's about 3- to 6% of people.” He himself can’t call to mind the faces of his wife or daughter. The idea he finds intriguing is that people are basically alien to one another because of their different “interior experiences.” That certainly would explain a lot. Here’s the transcript.
Thanks for helping me start the day on a high NOTE, Royce Ferguson.
A very disappointing easy solve. Threadbare fill with routine cluing made recognizing the marquee entries obvious. The NW was a perfect example. After PBJS and MEWL dropped in I anticipated 17A to be JEWISH something. The rest of the puzzle was just as predictable. The worst part is today's puzzle seems to be the new normal for the NYTXW.
Lololol, this blog is literally a review of the crossword from his perspective as a constructor, solver, and critic. How it makes him feel is part of the review!
That’s funny!
Ugh. I had BREAKSatiE at 15A and didn’t see a problem till I came here. (I solve on paper.) SARRA, ATYA, and SIEN seemed good enuf for the downs. Also started with “I Pray” for the Kitty Kelley bio—assumed it was about Tammy Faye Baker LOL. First thought some tongues might be “acid” (which is true! Many acid-tongued barbs in a Rex write up, not to mention in the comments)
Nice, smoooth 68-worder SatPuz solvequest. Did have four name no-knows and a RYES loaves half-no-know.
staff weeject pick, of a slim 6 choices: DEC. Had a solid no-know clue.
some faves: OSCARHOSTS clue. DEEJAY clue. SPACESHOT [timely, on account of Artemis II]. POMPOUSASS [timely, on account of POTUS XLVII]. GOLDENRULE [timely on account of the POTUS XLVII White House kingly decor].
Thanx for the smooth YUGO ride, Mr. Ferguson dude. Nice themeless stuffins.
Masked & Anonymo3Us
p.s.
runt puzzle, whose title honors Ms. Bygone Bondi:
**gruntz**
M&A
Thanks so much for the ALIA/ALII clarification! I typically leave the last letter blank but now I might be able to fill it in without waiting for the cross.
Now I want to know about Jean Renoir's personal art collection...
@Beezer 11:17 As you say in your 9:16 post "How we define success is personal"; for some maintaining a streak is a measure of success.
In my corporate life ACTION ITEMs weren't necessarily important, often a way to quiet an ankle biter.
I PEAKed (out) early, which made the NE difficult. Hmmm... maybe "Rocket to the Moon" is some kind of SKATE SPIN, thought I.
I have a loaf of Oroweat Jewish Rye in my freezer
i thought dolly parton 'here you go again' would have been in the music selects
Hand up for marbleRYE.
And make sure you find some way to incentivize your employees.
Amen about Office Speak!!!! It's fun to make fun of but when your livelihood is riding on it, not so much fun....
For better or for worse, TALIB is Arabic for "student"
Not much of a football fan anymore (and that's putting it mildly) but if I happen to score watch, I enjoy seeing anyone beating "America's team" (gag).
Army-Navy is "America's Game"? OK, if you say so. Thankfully it's in December (?) or else the Orange War Hero, with zero sense of shame, would be in attendance for photo ops.
And speaking of him, 1A is a fitting salute of a moniker, albeit a rather tame one, as those things go.
Anon 11:06. NOPE, I hate the Cowboys everyone I know hates the Cowboys. Even though the voice of God says it, it ain't true.
I thought at first that Rex was overly hard with a 2-1/2 stars rating, but it was solidly defended in the write-up.
Totally agree with awful placement (anywhere, actually) and cluing for TALIB.
I wondered why it wasn't clued for the Congresswoman, but it's Rashida Tlaib; my bad.
I liked this one. Medium for me. Some of the long stuff was great. POMPOUS ASS, for instance. I’ve known a few and I see one in the news almost every day. One of my overlords at the newspaper was definitely a POMPOUS ASS and would use terms like ACTION ITEM all the time. Bothered me then; doesn’t bother me to see to in the puzzle. Reminds me how fortunate I was to escape that place.
Early French auteur JEAN RENOIR was a worthy swack of PPP. YES INDEEDY! GLITTERATI right next to OSCAR HOST was pretty nice.
I didn’t like PAID AD. I’m trying to think what an unPAID AD might be. I’m not really fond of “letteral: clues and the one at 29A was, as others have pointed out, technically wrong. I don’t think I’ve ever bought a loaf of JEWISH RYE. I tend to avoid purchasing bread at the supermarket and, instead, seek out local bakeries where I can find a loaf fresh out of the oven. Usually sourdough or some variation, or an Italian style pane cassareccio, or French pain de campagne. I’ll check the supermarket to see if they have the Jewish variety of rye. If it’s pre-sliced and packed in plastic, I probably won’t put it in my cart but at least I will know it actually exists.
Thanks, Royce Ferguson, for the good workout.
Can you really lick the "creme filling" off an OREO? It's not frosting, it's a pseudo-lard, hydrogenated vegetable fat with high fructose corn syrup (my take on the recipe).
Not that I've never eaten one, of course.
Lehane seems pretty famous, at least to me. Author of more than a dozen novels, many of which are very good (Gennaro & Kenzie mystery/thrillers). Many made into big Hollywood movies, Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, Shelter Island, ....
Doesn’t SRO mean Standing Room Only?
In Berkeley everyone knows it’s a Bevatron. Has its own Wikipedia page, you’re free to look that s— up. But the cross would have made no sense (vamed?) so I was forced to try a T. Sigh. My Berkeley particle accelerator knowledge will have to wait for another day..
Hi, it's his blog to do with as he pleases! I enjoy 99% of what he posts and am always impressed by his writing chops and his music choices are great
That’s absurd.That youlearn something had mo bearing on whether it’s a failure to solve tge puzzle.
Ever see a crossword tourney whete they allow contestants to look things up? It’s farcicaon its face.
Then to condescendingly call people who see the truth goobers takes the cake for smugness.
Not sure about "Junipier", but St Junipero Serra likely slaughtered no one. But he did enforce whipping and beatings of the natives in his missions. He also caused converts to engage in forced labor. The missions also helped decimate native cultures leading to more suffering and dislocation.
It does not matter if Jean Renoir is famous or not. You can just google it anyway and with a few other google searches, puzzle solved. What fun is that?
Add me to the Seeded Rye / Secret Donor / Space Ship groups. But I did know the tennis terms, authors, and artists so those errors didn't hang me up for too long. The puzzle was okay, just not fresh and exciting. I wish TALIB hadn't been in there. Looking forward totomorrow's puzzle. YES INDEEDY.
Every souks singer from 1955-1975 said they started wity Gospel singing in Church. Every. Single. One.
For someone who claims to be enlightened and to fly the no judgment—you-do-you flag, you’re
terrribly parochial.
Gary, your gunk gauge is excellent. Basically, anything that can easily be googled you call gunk. Perfect. It just means that you don’t need imagination, thinking or verbal skills to solve that part of the crossword, and reduces the need for those skills to solve the rest. To each their own.
There was a commentor here once who said DNF (Did Not Finish) wasn't an accurate description of the solve. They said one did finish, but with errors. They brought forth FWE (Finished With Errors). I've used that in my blog posts a few times, but it never caught on. It's an apter description of a not completely accurate solve.
I Goog occasionally, and in my own personal sense, consider that cheating, or a DNF. If I finish a puz and don't get the "Happy Music" (online solve 100%), I open Rex's completed puz and look for my mistakes. That's more an FWE.
If that helps ... 😁
Roo
I thought POMPOUS ASS was a great way to start the puzzle. Timely, right? The first part of the clue, "Conceited sort", seemed spot on but the second part, "disrespectfully", not. If someone is a POMPOUS ASS, they have forfeited the right to be respected, don't you think?
I did respect the effort to include lots of longer entries---just look at those four corners, for example. The average word length of 5.79 (per xwordinfo.com) is quite a bit higher than the average for a Saturday puzzle. A little of the shine was dulled when a few of the longs, JEWISH RYE, SOLDIER ANT, OK SIGN, HIT SONG and OSCAR HOST were a letter short of their slots (POC to the rescue!) but overall I thought it was a very fine puzzle and an enjoyable solve.
Anonymous 11:06 AM
Perhaps people on this blog can have a different opinion. NFL Films is part of the NFL’s hugely successful effort to make football America’s game. Not exactly an unbiased source! The Cowboys took that term and used it to help create a successful selling operation. But “America’s Team” is all branding and meaningless to anyone not susceptible. Since the Cowboys have done so poorly for years, at the very least, their players are not more well known than the teams who actually win.
Yea, but it's delicious!!
RooMonster Mega Stuf All Day Guy
Funny thing, I am on a trip with family, and this morning I mentioned the only type of bread I don’t like is rye.
Beezer
I agree with you about typos and also about “streaks”. What you intended is what counts. Most of the errors are the fault of the stupid app design or the keyboard being used after all
I don’t pay any attention to what a computer says about my puzzle record.
I also rarely use the check puzzle button
42 across…I think maybe a mistake on that clue? A let (when a tennis serve clips the net but still goes over to the other side) is certainly a fault if the ball lands outside the service box. It’s only a do-over if it lands in the service box. Soooo, this clue is a bit wrong, no?
Back in the day when I ate them AND liked them, seems like I would crudely use my teeth tho get the filling.
In my neck of the woods (and probably yours) you will rarely see it and only in a specialty bakery or deli. For NYC…fuhgeddabout…you can find THAT and good marble rye. Just ask Seinfeld. :)
Anonymous 11:11AM
The mission system of which Serra was a part was designed to suppress, control and force a religion upon Native American people the Spanish captured. The system was also part of the Spanish large land owner system with peonage imposed in the New World. . The Native Americans forced into this system had their cultures destroyed. Throughout the Western Hemisphere there was always a huge drop in local populations, through disease, disruption caused by the invaders and outright murder. Serra’s priority was spreading his faith and suppressing preexisting religions The consequences of the mission system were clearly less important to him. ( that he convinced himself he was saving souls from damnation is no excuse at all. Religious practice should be based on free will).
See? That’s the stuff I love about the puzzle. I do searches after almost every puzzle!
Lately, the puzzles have been just kind of between meh and ok for me. But then again, it’s been the health crisis du jour here in NorCal. I’m back though, and with Grace’s insistence, the streak is alive.
My old cat finally has full on pancreatitis. She’s been on steroids for the pre-disease gut issues for several years waiting for the proverbial other shoe. It dropped, and she has the expected diabetes to go along with everything. So, while I thankfully can inject her insulin twice a day, and am so grateful that the stick-on glucose sensors are now used on cats, (who knew!) thereby negating the need for daily finger (or ear as it happens with cats) sticks, it’s a big change.
I only found one truly bright spot in this otherwise essentially “fill in the random blanks” puzzle. It was JEWISH RYE, referring specifically to my favorite sandwich in the whole world - corned beef. Soon as I finish this, I’m going to go down the street to buy some $6.00 gas and then head downtown to Grossman’s Noshery to get one. They also have marble rye. Tough choice.
Overall, we’re keeping our heads above water and taking care of each other. Honestly, the worst part of all this has been having to put a little baby tee on my cat to keep her from trying to pull off the sensor! It’s kind of cute. If I knew how to put a picture into a post, I’d do it.
Peace, love and perseverance❣️
I am not surprised Rex was upset by TALIB, but he didn’t like the answer pompous ass? Many liked it here!
BTW I remember reading that
Taliban is the plural and TALIB is the singular
TALIB literally means teacher. How ironic as they kicked girls out of school.
Doesn’t always work but. ALlIA is more common so I usually try it first, As someone noted Lehane was mentioned just recently in a clue. So Lehane settled the Alia question. But if I hadn’t remembered the previous puzzle, I still would have gone with the A. Better than 50/50 odds!
Found the puzzle easy. I didn’t have to look at all the clues. But enjoyed it anyway
I did not appreciate that "paid AD" (4D) crossed "Win after AD out, say" (15A) I started to put "ad" in 4D but thought it had to be wrong. It's a pet peeve of mine when an answer word appears in a clue, and it always slows me down if I see it since it is against the rules so I second guess myself rather than Will Shortz. Lame editing.
No, you can't. You mustn't. Don't do that!
That's tough news. Wishing you all the best, and that your cat finds rest and comfort.
I also had SEEDED RYE before JEWISH RYE. I guess I get forgetful about bread varieties during Passover! 😅😅
So, Beezer, a commenter below talks about "seeded rye" and I looked it up and apparently it is seeded with carraway. Sounds interesting, especially if I'm making a Reuben, my fave sandwich. I may have to track some down. Marble rye I have had and I can live without it, thanks.
Wishmaster was a djinn, not a genie.
Some solid clues and answers ruined by far too many obscure proper nouns. Also “GENII” as a plural for genie is the worst thing I’ve seen this year in a puzzle. Awful overall.
The most common and accepted plural of genie (a magic spirit in a lamp) is genies. While genii is sometimes used, it is often considered archaic or more accurate as the plural of "genius"
It does indeed! I believe OFL was having a laff
If it lands outside the service box … it is not a let
@Anonymous, the proper art of criticism entails evaluating a subject from a purely objective lens. Feelings should not enter into this exercise. All that should matter is using the knowledge and expertise that one has gained in their life to assess the thing at hand. Anyone can opine on how a piece of art makes them feel, but it is the duty of a professional critic to bring a different level of analysis to the task at hand.
Also, I am delighted that Rex actually posted my original comment. I've been critical of him in the past and have noticed that those comments were typically denied. Progress, I suppose!
@ChrisS, to each his own! I would say I enjoy 1% of what Rex posts, but it's that 1% that keeps me coming back.
Can’t cheat in a single player game.
Why does the YUGO have a rear window defroster? So you can keep your hands warm while you’re pushing it!
Exactly. I had never before heard Rex's "explanation." I think he made it up.
eternally grateful for this blog you can't even chat with other solvers at many online crosswords thanks Rex!
Enjoyed this Saturday puzzle - I did find it relatively easy and I was able to work out most names from the crosses except YUGO. Had to look up when Bodhi day was also. Other than those it all gently revealed itself
That’s because it’s a joke
I've always seen SRO as Standing Room Only. And S/O as Sold Out.
Never heard of Sold Right Out.
It’s. A. Joke.
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