.png)
Relative difficulty: Medium-Challenging (more fussy than hard, though)
Theme answers:
- SH[UT] / A[UT]OPSY (14A: Close / 3D: Post-mortem)
- SPRO[UT]S / L[UT]E (15A: Pho soup garnishes / 8D: Guitar relative)
- ASTRONA[UT] / [UT]URN (24A: The remotest of remote jobs? / 26D: Remedy for a missed exit)
- YO[UT]H / EXEC[UT]ION (27A: Kid / 11D: Concern for a gymnastics judge)
- PL[UT]O / ANY MIN[UT]E (66A: Noted cartoon dog / 39D: Very soon)
- YO[UT]UBE / CREWC[UT]S (67A: Its first video, "Me at the zoo," has over 400 million views / 45D: Military hairstyles)
- [UT]AH /PEAN[UT]S" (68A [see above] / 51D: Classic comic strip that's the source for nine Emmys and two Tonys)
1950 // View looking across an intersection in a rural town, with an Esso gas station on the right, and a row of shops across the street. The streets are deserted except for a woman looking in a store window, and two cars parked along a tree-lined street in the distance. (Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco M. H. de Young Memorial Museum Golden Gate Park San Francisco California 94118 Accession Number: 1991.32) [Smithsonian]
• • •
Your job is to track down "UT' squares. It's a good old-fashioned "UT" hunt. Like they have in Utah. I assume. So there's at least some challenge. I mean, your brain has something to do besides simply answer fairly straightforward clues. But the (mild) challenge of the "UT" hunt was the only thing that kept me awake. It's an easy puzzle, but the "UT-iness" (or "U"-"T"-ness) (rhymes with "fruitiness") keeps you on your toes. Still, once you get that first "UT" (for me, the one at SH[UT] / A[UT]OPSY), and you know what you're looking for, even the challenge of the "UT" hunt isn't that challenging. I guess I learned a few things. Like the fact that Coco Gauff's name is CORI. "Coco" is no shorter than CORI, but I suppose it's more fun to say. I also learned that TANGERINES has the same number of letters as NECTARINES (63A: Fruits named after a mythical drink). Really glad NECTARINES ended up being the answer 'cause I was really struggling to believe that "Tang" was a "mythical drink." Lastly, I learned that the first video on YOUTUBE was called "Me at the zoo." Sounds boring, but ... let's find out.
Wow. Somehow even more boring than I'd imagined. Amazing. Real trouble spots today were few. Getting that initial "UT" took a bit of struggle, a bit of thinking. I thought the [Guitar relative] (L[UT]E) was a UKE and so screwed up the second "UT" square, though in my defense, at that point I didn't know I was hunting "UT"s specifically. It seemed possible that any state code might pop out at me. What else? I started writing in BASSETT before fully reading the clue, backing up, and writing in BASENJI (one of the cooler dog breed names) (36D: Small hound that doesn't bark). My most consequential screw-up was certain writing in PET for 44A: Dip target, maybe (PEC). Isn't a "flea dip" a thing that PETs get? Yes, it is. A kind of medicated bath to eliminate flea infestations. But sadly (for me) the "dip" in question is the kind I actually (occasionally) do at the gym. This kind:
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| [Yes, that is me pictured, I am young and very muscular and transparent] |
Bullets:
- 2D: Pharynx setting (THROAT) — "Pharynx" is one of those words ... seems familiar, but ... I keep staring at it thinking "I know I know that word ... why does it look like it's missing a letter? ... wait, am I thinking of 'larynx,' I might be thinking of 'larynx'..." It doesn't help that "Sphinx" is also in this puzzle (49D: The Sphinx, for one). Does the Sphinx have a pharynx? We'll never know...
- 59A: "A form of madness," it's said (WAR) — by whom? When? I need names. I had -AR and thought "EAR ... Van Gogh cut off his EAR, was he 'mad'? Or CAR? Our dependence on CARs is a form of madness, but ..."
- 12D: Certain pickleball shot (FOREHAND) — not everything has to be pickleball. There should be some spaces where pickleball isn't. The U.S. Open just concluded, you've got Coco Gauff in here, come on, just give us regular old tennis why don't you?
- 15A: Pho soup garnishes (SPRO[UT]S) — isn't pho "soup" by definition? Is there a non-soup pho? "Pho soup" seems like a ridiculous redundancy.
- 7D: Grab-and-go breakfast option (POP TART) — did Andy Warhol ever paint POP TARTs. Did Lichtenstein? It seems like the perfect subject. Bright. Commercial. One letter off from Pop Art. About this clue, though—don't like "option" here when OPT is in the grid (two answers over => 5D: Decide one will (OPT TO)).
That's all for today. See you next time.
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I got the rebus immediately at SHUT/AUTOPSY so it was Monday easy for me. Reasonably pleasant solve.
ReplyDeleteI’m in total agreement with you about today’s puzzle, Rex.
ReplyDelete100% but enjoyed your review. I guess pho soup is like naan bread or chai tea?
Delete
ReplyDeleteEasy. Very Easy once I realized there were rebus squares (which at first I thought might refer to the University of Texas or Tennessee).
* * _ _ _
Overwrites:
Before recognizing the rebus, I had uke for the 8D guitar relative (L[UT]E).
BASsett before BASENJI for the 36D hound.
One WOE, I didn't know that Coco Gauff's name is CORI (42D).
Like Rex and Conrad, BASSETT before BASENJI. (Probably a lot of solvers too). Never heard of basenji, but I'm not particularly a dog person.
Deletenever met a basenji, but never met a basset that didn't bark (a lot!)
DeleteBasenji x Jada = Natick
ReplyDeleteMe too.
DeleteWill Smith's wife? The woman who's been in dozens of movies and was at the center of the biggest Oscar controversy in recent years? Who's been clued in the NYTXW 10 times, including once with this exact clue earlier this year already? No, not a Natick.
DeleteBassett also & the last part to solve so my brain was wandering. I begin to think about my neighbors dog who, for reasons I won't go into here Is nicknamed Hector the dope sniffing hound. That led me to think about Mike Absalom, anybody remember him? That was one of his songs, Hector the dope sniffing hound, used to be seen around town, with inspectors and pigs he was one of the bigs, a bark from that narc sent you down.....Then it hit me, Hector is a Basset hound & the damn thing barks all the time!!
DeleteSooo, that's how I finished the puz
And no, I don't know what's her name. The only thing memorable was Will Smith making an ass of himself in front of the whole world. Ended up guessing the J!
Definitely a Natick for me and I have long-time friends that live there.
DeleteMagnificent puzzle. All rebuses are delightful, but this one also folds back on itself by having the rebus letters arranged in the shape of the state the rebus letters represent. The fill was crunchy and there was a goodly amount of sparkle. Absolutely lovely.
ReplyDeleteI concur!
DeleteAs do I.🎈🎈🎊🎊
DeleteAs do I! (first time I've ever used that crossword answer IRL!) I loved finding the rebuses, the fill was good; the whole thing made me smile.
DeletePlus, Utah is amazing! I prefer the southern part of the state. Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, the Grand Escalante Staircase. Monument Valley!!! But the Borth has plenty to boast about.
DeleteRex is just a crank.
Ditto!
DeleteOkay. Best as I can tell, there’s never been a connect-the-dots Times puzzle depicting a state. Furthermore, never have the dots been rebuses – they’ve always been single letters.
ReplyDeleteTwo never-before-seen elements in this crossword genre.
To which I say: A[UT]HOR! A[UT}HOR!
One more thing re the constructor. He’s had four puzzles in the Times, all for different days of the week, so he still has a chance to do what only one other constructor (Andrew Ries) has done in the 80+ years of the Times – hit the cycle (a puzzle for every day of the week) in their first seven puzzles.
Go for it, Peter – and thank you for a splendid outing today!
p.s. – My favorite connect-the-dots Times crossword? 11/12/25, by Brad Wiegmann and Nicole Wiegmann, which features an ingenious square, IMO.
DeleteI just went back to look at that puzzle in the archives, and, yes, it was a good one! And it also ran on Wednesday, so there you go.
DeleteI love a midweek rebus but I agree with the big guy here - why? The UTs were simple enough to find - the trick fell quickly with AUTOPSY - the self referenced revealer is a waste. We don’t even get crossword darling sego lily.
ReplyDeleteGolden SMOG
Overall fill was fine I guess - Rex summarizes nicely. PROTOTYPES - NO CAN DO are solid. I didn’t love the BONO - ENYA pair. Rough karma to start with ETA x ESPN in the NW.
Ladies of the Canyon
The trick was enjoyable - the subject maybe not so much.
Prefab SPROUT
It was fun to fill in a couple of the UTs just by completing the geometry. That might’ve helped me get those answers quicker.
ReplyDeleteI hit the first rebus square and got my hopes up for a puzzle with a medieval solmization theme, continuing the rebus chain with RE, MI, FA, etc., all of which would form a portrait of Guido of Arezzo. Alas, it was not to be.
ReplyDeleteBut “pho soup” got me thinking about some of my other favorite foods: borscht soup, gazpacho soup, clam chowder soup . . .
And Rex: nice form, but you need to do something about that ridiculous necklace you’re wearing.
Wow, I didn’t think of that even though I wrote a biographical novel about Guido. Since you know a lot about him, you might enjoy it—Music’s Guiding Hand (published by Mentoris, available on Amazon etc.). Sorry for the plug, but Guido doesn’t turn up that often!
DeleteSamsies to Guido!!🤪
DeleteYup, that’s definitely Utah. And I’m definitely going to recommend Basenji hounds to all my neighbors…
ReplyDeleteWould love to see other state shapes, WY & CO would be easy, MA would be tough. BTW, trivia Q: what is the only state border that is neither a straight line nor a natural/geographic feature?
DeleteIs that the OK/TX/NM border?
DeleteThe curved part of the Pennsylvania-Delaware border?
DeleteHawaii, arbitrary 12 miles from coast
DeleteWould love to go to the WAMU event, but the timing is terrible.
ReplyDeleteI must point out that The New Yorker anointed Bridgeport, Connecticut 's WPKN as "the greatest radio station in the world" in 2021.
Harder for me than for, apparently, everyone else. Very few automatic fill-ins today, so a lot of answers required at least one cross. For example, "Cartoon dog" or "By" could be any number of things.
ReplyDeleteI’m with you. Felt more like a Thursday for me, but might just not have been on my wavelength. The NE corner in particular- I’ve never heard of a TERN or AXON, and spent a long time looking for a rebus that wasn’t there. Also never heard of a BASENJI or PRYNNE.
DeleteOh well. I enjoyed it!
Anonymous 10:39 AM
DeletePRYNNE
It’s an age thing. For me and I am sure many other boomersd a gimme. Scarlet Letter hard to avoid in high school in the ‘60’s.
But try to remember AXON Frequently in crosswords Ditto TERN.
No I found it hard.
DeleteSurprisingly two stars, yet a relatively upbeat write-up. When I see only two stars, meaning it's below the (as I call it) Mendoza Line of puzzle satisfaction (three), I buckle up and await anything from snarky criticism to full-throated rant. Today Rex was more humorous, even whimsical, than off-putting.
ReplyDeleteDid not know BASENJI, but knew JADA was right, so we weren't confident about success; but got the happy music.
Decide one will and OPT TO were a matching pair (clue and answer) in that they both were a bit grating on the ears. "I will OPT TO..." said no one I've ever listened to.
If the first YOU TUBE was a season on tv, would it have been renewed? Remarkable what (1) passes for entertainment and (2) makes people rich.
DAVINHOP
DeleteHe opted to stay home. Opt to is on the formal side more written maybe but most definitely a thing.
Rebus on a Wednesday?? Why didn’t they make this puzzle tomorrow’s?
ReplyDeleteHey All !
ReplyDeleteGood ole Utah. The square state with a cap. The Capital named after a vast area of a dry lake. Where you can have 73 wives if you want. Wondering if it's National Utah Day, or something.
Interesting puz. Nothing egregious about the fill. I did get stuck in a couple of spots, so wasn't super fast, but still coming in on the easy side.
There's probably a story to tell using all the UT Rebus words, but I don't have the time to make one. 😁
Neat to have a Rebus on a Wednesday.
Hope y'all have a great Wednesday!
One F
RooMonster
DarrinV
Really really easy. Maybe Rex didn’t get enough sleep last night.
ReplyDeleteThis is the type of write-up that I come here for. After watching the connect-the-six-dots animation and listening to the tune, I immediately thought “How is he going to find anything to say about this?” Any Rex delivered on the snark I couldn’t find after not waking up to do this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI found this one a bit challenging, which is welcome on a Wednesday. I had nothing on my first Across pass until some of the gimmes in the center and South like AIR, TRE, STY, NOS and SMOG. I then very slowly started to get going.
ReplyDeleteI did not grock the theme until CREWCUTS, at which point I went immediately back to 8D for LUTES and started the hunt. That was kinda fun but like @Rex, I was looking for something Utah related other than the Rebuses, that would have added some elegance. But I'm no constructor so any tricky feat of construction impresses me. I realize that connecting the Rebuses is indeed UTAH related but, and no dis on the beautiful state of UTAH, it's kind of just a box with a "dip". Hey my states of New York and New Jersey don't have interesting shapes either...
I liked a bunch of the fill, cool bit of info provided for NECTARINES and it does look pretty in the grid. PROTOTYPES is also nice but I first threw down PROmOTaPES which seemed just as plausible. BASENJI in not known to me but happy to learn about them here and it gives the grid a little pop. NOCANDO is nice in-the-language stuff.
Nice cluing for RETAINER as well and a good little nugget of trivia for YOUTUBE, who knew? Not me! So I learned a couple of cool things this morning and that always gives me a rush.
There was much to like here, Peter. Thank you!
I think @Rex may have missed a few Utah -related answers:
ReplyDeleteState Nickname: The CREWCUTS State
State Motto: NOCANDO
State Dog: BASENJI
State Fruit: NECTARINES
State Form of Madness: WAR
State pastime: REFI
State Song: Oh to Be ALADDIN UTAH!
I too was saying "What the PHO." about the soup. But if you were setting up a soup kitchen to serve PHO to the homeless, would you call it the PHO Kitchen or the PHO SOUP Kitchen?. I'll have to ask the crew at PHO King next time I'm in Tacoma.
This was different, which is good. Thanks, Peter Gorman.
You’re in good form today, Egs! Nearly as good as Rex’s form doing dips.
DeleteBetter go early — I hear there’s a long pho queue.
DeleteEgs, I hope you are well on the mend. Having a life threatening event and not being able to communicate easily must have added insane stress. We missed you and are so glad you’re back. Take care!
DeleteI had a quite good time with this one. It was at least a teeny bit of a challenge to determine the trick was a rebus, and that alone put a smile on my face. A Wednesday rebus? Excellent! Moving on, I had a mostly easy time of it except for the northeast where I did not know AXON or INN, and 12D was a mystery. Jell-O shots, tequila shots, vodka shots, I know, but not Pickleball. Nothing difficult there; I just had enough empty squares that I struggled to see what was missing. Finally YOUTH revealed itself which got me to the finish line.
ReplyDeletePharnyx threw me for a loop as well. Had a vague idea of what it was but kept trying to think how on earth one could “set” a pharnyx. Misspelled ALADDIN with two L’s instead of two D’s. Who woulda thought? I have not seen JADA in Girls Trip, but she was very good and very funny in The Women, a 2008 remake of the 1939 classic. Along with Smith, it showcases a cast of Annette Bening, Deborah Messing, Meg Ryan, Candace Bergen and their nemesis Eva Mendez, making their way through the days of their upper-crust NYC lives. Rated PG, It’s a film that was not highly rated by the critics but which I found immensely appealing.
Ugh. I had NUM instead of NOS for the sudoku clue. I’ve didn’t the crossing dog breed, so I didn’t catch it. Bamenji seemed as valid as Basenji. Same with the tennis player I’ve never heard of. Curi or Cori both seem like unusual spellings of more common names, and neither seem obviously related to the coco in the clue.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the rant. It’s just annoying to feel proud I solved without any hints only to end that way. Oh well. At least I learned about a new dog breed.
This puzzle was a classic case of who gives a shit.
ReplyDeleteI agree totally. It should have been tomorrow's crossword. I don't do Thursday nor Sunday crosswords.
DeleteReally looking forward to a Colorado or Wyoming version of this puzzle.
ReplyDelete@Anon 9:23 am: or Saskatchewan.
DeleteCaught on at the SHUT AUTOPSY cross, then moved over and changed SPRIGS to SPROUTS which allowed LUTE, thank goodness. After that it was a matter of discovering where the other UT squares would be. Didn't bother to connect them, I know the shape of UTah and took the constructor's word that it would appear. Thanks to OFL for confirming this.
ReplyDeleteHad an "oh oh" moment when "cellphone lot" showed up right away but that was easily fixed by crosses. Didn't know Coco's actual name and eventually remembered that happy fact about the BESENJI when I tried JADA. And today's old friend was EOS. Haven't see you in a while, and then came the dawn.
LETS ROLL this close to 9/11 was familiar and got me thinking about Flight 93 so I did a little research and found that those were the last words of passenger Todd Beamer as he led the group that stormed the cockpit. May we never forget.
Impressive construction PG and a Perfectly Good Wednesday. Thanks for all the fun.
Panloinnh, very same oopsies here. Innfact it was the SPRIgS to SPROUTS that concinced me we had a rebus.
Delete“War is a form of madness” is a famous quote attributed to They.
ReplyDeleteI was not looking for a Thursday puzzle on a Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was very good. Unexpected to have a rebus on Wednesday which added a little punch to make it interesting. Pleasant and fun solve.
ReplyDeleteSidney Poitier starred in a movie called Good-bye My Lady. It’s very sweet but sad.
ReplyDeleteTge lady is a basanji
¿Quién está listo para irse?
ReplyDeleteFun li'l puzzle. I love a hunt for rebus squares, but I really like it more when they're all different. Still, nothing wrong with Utah, you know, except a troubling history of child "brides." I'd like to see this concept done with a Kentucky shape.
Sneaky doing BONO and ENYA together.
Gunkometer--
People: 10 {Is this necessary?}
Places: 2
Products: 7
Partials: 6
Foreignisms: 2
--
Gary's Grid Gunk Gauge: 27 of 78 (35%)
Funny Factor: 2 😕
Uniclues:
1 Zero G Gen Z.
2 Statement from the overworked flying carpet repairman.
3 Device designed to prevent a Boomer from giving their opinion. (It's still in beta.)
4 My doctor's opinion of my health.
5 The four horsemen of indigestion.
6 Short dos on cute dudes.
7 Result of The People vs. Charles Brown in the matter of Lucille Van Pelt unlicensed therapist and football puller-awayer.
1 ASTRONAUT YOUTH
2 NO CAN DO ALADDIN (~)
3 SMOG RETAINER
4 AUTOPSY ANY MINUTE
5 ONION TETRADS (~)
6 POP TART CREW CUTS
7 PEANUTS EXECUTION (~)
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: Your ex lunk of a boyfriend. MEATY CASTASIDE.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This was a fun puzzle. The rebus was easy to discern, was consistent throughout the grid, and the supporting cast was Wednesday appropriate from a difficulty perspective.
ReplyDeleteBASENJI was a total WoE for me, but I was pretty confident in the crosses so I trusted them and it worked out for me. Good Job by Peter Gorman today.
May we never forget 9/11 and the bravery of the response. LETSROLL indeed. WAR is a form of madness - now it’s contributing to global warming and bringing us closer to an AI version of war.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised by rebus on Wednesday and found my first UT in PEANUTS.
TIL DIP and BASENJI.
Enjoyed this puzzle even on the phone where no music or connect the dots was displayed, alas
Given the limited possibilities of the two-letter theme, I thought the constructor did a good job of varying the pronunciation of each letter, the positioning within or across words (including starting or ending the answer), etc. So that was good. As for whether there should be more Utah content in the puzzle, I'm not so sure -- sometimes that extraneous theme material is just a distraction. So I'll take it as at least three stars.
ReplyDeleteSam Corbin in the Wordplay column reveals that she does not know the shape of most states. That astounded me at first, since everyone I knew as a child had a jigsaw puzzle of a US map, with one piece per state. But maybe those have gone out of fashion since Alaska and Hawai'i were admitted to the union.
I enjoy an easy Wednesday rebus, so even if the puzzle didn’t sizzle, I had fun. I initially had SHY instead of SH[UT] (reading the clue [close] as an adjective rather than a verb), so I didn’t get the rebus until moving down all the way to ANYMIN[UT]E/PL[UT]O, which allowed me to go back up and fix some areas that had stumped me earlier, such as the guitar relative that I knew couldn’t be UKE since there was nothing to indicate an abbreviation, crossing a garnish I had very much wanted to be SPROUTS if it had another letter but I figured could potentially be a Vietnamese word. Anyway, I had fun with it, though I agree that sprinkling in some [UT]AH trivia would have made it better and wouldn’t have been very taxing on the constructor.
ReplyDeleteOn the tough side for me. It took a couple of beats to get the rebus plus there were two major WOEs that required some staring - BASENJI and CORI.
ReplyDeletePretty smooth grid given the theme. Clever idea nicely done, liked it quite a bit more than @Rex did.
Well, what sort of dumbass trick can we expect tomorrow?
ReplyDeleteThis one was easy except for the dog crossing the girls trip. Easy, yes, but the EXECUTION was an ORDEAL of boredom.
Surprising for a Wednesday but not so bad for a rebus. Does that mean we won't be subjected to another one tomorrow? 🤞
ReplyDeleteThis utmost simple rebus added a wrinkle to a Wednesday solve. Another form of madness would have been trying to position SLC, OREM, ZION and MOAB geographically into the grid. Any puzzle with JONI Mitchell is fine by me.
ReplyDeleteI liked it, though I would have liked more Utah-related words, as Utah is a beautiful and interesting state, And I was surprised this ran on Wednesday, but that's fine by me.
ReplyDeleteAll the dog people on here are chuckling at the thught that people could possibly think Basset hounds don't bark. Arooooooooooo!!!
U-Tah! The 49th State!*
ReplyDelete* well, the 49th state we ever visited, before finally visitin #50 Alaska just recently. Moab area was really impressive. Enjoyed Arches Natl. Park & took lotsa pictures.
Ok, sooo ... "Medium-challenging", but not hard -- just ... "fussy"? I reckon that was cuz of the rare rebus on a WedPuz?
I'd grant, figurin out how to cram AUTOPSY into them 6 squares did chew up some extra M&A solvequest nanoseconds. But, clear sailin after that, until meetin up with CORI & JADA/BASENJI [woof].
staff weeject pick: MOO. Rhymes with yesterday's pick.
some fave stuff: LETSROLL. PROTOTYPES & NECTARINES. RETAINER clue. and fave themer YO[UT]UBE.
Thanx for puttin UT on the xword map, Mr. Gorman dude.
Masked & Anonymo2Us + 7UTs
p.s.
slightly xtra-goofy Runt puzzle:
**gruntz**
M&A
I wonder how big the grid would have to be to do this with MIchigan....both peninsulas!
ReplyDeleteI had a rough start. ukE, end for close, ETA-had to google cellphone lot
had no idea what that was. Picked up after I had enough non-UT answers to figure it. IMO we've a good streak of good puzzles.
Rex’s opening line today…classic!
ReplyDeleteAgree 100 percent with your write-up. Next puzzle, please.
ReplyDeleteOnly real trouble I had was figuring out what UT was about. It was quite obvious there was a rebus at the meeting of SHUT and AUTOPSY, but why was it UT. Just what is an UT? And why, if it matters at all, does UT matter? UTterly baffling until I got to UTAH. OK, fine. Two letter state abbreviation. The rest is pretty easy.
ReplyDeleteThe trouble is that I am not an American and I haven’t memorized 50 state abbreviations. UT is pretty obvious once you see you need a state. But some states are more confusing. Why isn’t Alaska AL? Why did Alabama get the easy one? There are many more (if Utah gets UT and Idaho gets ID, why doesn’t Vermont get VE?) I’m going to stop here, but if anyone cares to explain this so-called “system”, I’m listening.
Rex was right about “pho soup”. There has been a lot of fresh corn available recently, so I made some corn chowder; I did not make chowder soup.
So, a pleasant enough Wednesday until I wanted to review it and the red line kept redrawing and annoying the hell out of me. Is there a way to shut that off? (I work directly off the NYT Games site.)
@Les, there was a funny skit by Gary Gulman about state abbrev's. Take a look on... YOUTUBE!
DeleteAnd re annoying red lines... that's why I prefer Across Lite.
Ugh
DeleteToo much error to correct by the heart of Dicoe was s state long before The Last Frontier.
By the way the US acceded to Canada’s rewuest to change Nebraska’s original code from NB to avoid confusion with New Brunswick. You’re welcone.
Delete@Anon 3:47 pm, interesting detail. I guess those were the good old days of common sense. It just seems reasonable when the name is two words rather than one: NB = New Brunswick, WV = West Virginia, SC = South Carolina, RI = Rhode Island, etc etc.
DeleteAnon 3:47. That was back in '69 when we were friends and would do nice things for each other … ah, those golden days …
Delete@okanaganer. That was hilarious. Thanks.
DeleteRebus' are bullshit.
ReplyDeleteUT - meh. Let’s roll.
ReplyDeleteI told my wife I didn't understand why my back hurt when I got up in the morning. "The AUTOPSY should explain it," she said reassuringly.
ReplyDeleteGiven my back problems, I've completely soured on pickleball.
On EXECUTION. In case you are unfamiliar with former Tampa Bay Coach John McCay's famous line: He was asked after a loss what he thought of the team's execution and said, "I'm in favor of it." My extensive research (a minute or two online) reveals there is no hard evidence that McCay said it, only hearsay, but it's widely ascribed to him. In any event it is not his line originally. It comes from vaudeville and was used by Groucho.
My personal favorite coach line, as a Jets fan, was by Bruce Coslet, the poor fellow sentenced to coach the Jets from 1990 to 1993. Meeting with the press after a Jets loss he guaranteed a win the following week. Of course, the Jets lost and the press pounced on him, harassing him about the guarantee. His response was: "What did you want me to say -- we're going to lose?"
I enjoyed the puzzle. Surprised it didn't include the famous Utahan Ethel Mormon.
I see you’re not an afficianado of NFL Films. They have iiMcCay on film saying it.
DeleteThanks! Good info!
DeleteAm I the crazy one thinking at least one clue should have been about Utah? Is it Utah day and I'm just not in the know?
ReplyDeleteWe had a BASENJI who didn't get the memo about not barking. He never saw a squirrel he didn't want to bark at! Found him wandering around a MetroLink train station. After we couldn't find his owners, we named him Metro. Metro ate like a cat - only when he wanted. He hated to get wet, like a cat. He loved his independence, like a cat. But he did bark like a dog (in addition to yodeling like basenjis do).
ReplyDeleteThis started out as annoyingly challenging. When AUTOPSY didn't fit at 3 down I didn't even consider rebuses; when 26 down needed to be UTURN I kinda paused, and when 68 across was a 3 letter state, I thought: wait a gol dang minute!... there ain't no gosh darn 3 letter states. And from then on it was fairly easy. Good thing they didn't circle the UT squares; that would have been ridiculously easy.
ReplyDeleteI have been to Utah; the only thing I remember is Mexican Hat rock. I climbed it! (not to the very top; if you see a picture of it, that's got to be pretty much impossible.) A fun little climb.
As I commented elsewhere, the only Canadian province you could do this theme with is Saskatchewan. Its borders are all rectilinear, although there is a whackload of little zig-zags on the eastern side that make it look slightly bent.
Too many names today; fortunately only a couple of Unknowns: PRYNNE and BASENJI. I didn't know CORI but crosses helped me guess.
Oh! There are two answers in this puzzle that are anagrams of each other, and are also in today's Spelling Bee: 20 across and 30 down. Huh.
DeleteThank you for calling out “Pho soup” redundancy. That is something an editor should easily catch / correct.
ReplyDeleteInteresting state to focus on, as I’m unsure how many people in Utah will even complete this. The Times is a liberal fiction paper to most in the state, and while the populace might’ve delighted in educated puzzles decades ago, the current culture is rapidly abandoning such behavior.
ReplyDeleteThat’s not only insulting, it’s ignorant.
DeleteBleh. I finished. Bleh.
ReplyDeleteAs a former BASENJI owner this answer made me happy!
ReplyDeleteI loved it! I’m a fan of visual themes.
ReplyDeletespot on review thanks Rex - this puzzle is bereft of Joy and Fun and the good things about Utah like the Utah Jazz / Arches, Zion, Canyonlands, skiing, park city, sadly Sundance film fest is no more, even the Tabernacle Choir or the Osmonds I mean - a puzzle about Utah that doesn't even talk about Utah? let alone Mormons insane beliefs like baptizing dead people and that we will have our own planets after death if we are mormons and populate the universe!
ReplyDeleteFor future reference references Rex
ReplyDeleteTangerine as in Tangiers Also nectar of the gods.
Hope that is helpful!
Great puzzle especially since we don't expect rebuses (rebi?) on Wednesdays (at least I don't). So, a nice little challenge. Thanks Peter
ReplyDeleteExceptional uniclues today, Gary. Personalmente, estoy listo para un rompecabezas! I’m a rebus fan but I prefer more than one rebus. And If all the rebus entries are the same, could we have more Utah-related clues and answers? Por favor?
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy seeing that the ER DOCTORS on Pitt carried home another Emmy. The show does some really excellent story-telling. That’s what I want. And I’m so impressed with Noah Wyle’s growth as an actor.
My bell peaLED, but the correction was obvious at the QTIPS. Overall, extremely easy, not much “there there,” but not depressingly gunky.