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Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium
Word of the Day: Schöningen SPEARS (46A: Schöningen ___, German mine discoveries that may be up to 300,000 years old) —
The Schöningen spears are a set of ten Palaeolithic wooden weapons that were excavated between 1994 and 1999 from the 'Spear Horizon' in the open-cast lignite mine in Schöningen, Helmstedt district, Germany. The spears are among the oldest hunting weapons yet discovered and were found together with animal bones and stone and bone tools. Being used by the oldest known group of human hunters, they provided unique proof that early human ancestors were much closer to modern humans in both complex social structure and technical ability than thought previously. [...] thermoluminescence dating of heated flints in a deposit beneath that which contained the spears, dates the spears to between 337,000 and 300,000 years old, placing them at the end of the interglacial Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 9, and recent scholarship has tended to support an MIS 9 date for the spears. However, a 2025 study suggested an even younger age of approximately 200,000 years ago, and manufacture by Neanderthals. The Schöningen spears are the oldest complete wooden weapons and, along with the incomplete British Clacton spear point, among the oldest known worked wooden implements. // The spears were constructed from Norway spruce as well as pine. They are suggested to have been used both as throwing weapons, as well as thrusting spears for personal defense. // To date, hominin remains have not been discovered from the Schöningen Pleistocene deposits and, therefore, the species that crafted and used the wooden weapons and other tools at Schöningen remains uncertain. (wikipedia)
• • •
[Hope you weren't REKT by this answer (Quite a week for variant spellings of "wreck") (see 3D, here)]
Never got stuck anywhere in this puzzle once I got out of the NW. Changing that "S" to an "X" in WRECKX-N-EFFECT was easy, and then ... I dunno, I'm not seeing any sticking points. I wrote in TREASURE CHEST before TREASURE TROVE, but again, that was an easy fix—via the very nicely clued FIVE (33D: Count on one's fingers?). It took me a while to accede to CRAFT, which didn't feel like a very precise answer to 41D: Mastery. You master your CRAFT, but is CRAFT itself "Mastery"? Apparently yes, but my brain doesn't like it. I sure as heck didn't know the German cave SPEARS, but again, the crosses were kind. I know a fellow Upstate NY crossword person who plays CARILLON —or although I may be thinking of the Cornell Chimes, which are not (I'm sternly told) a CARILLON, as a "true carillon has at least 23 bells, and a different playing console" (wikipedia). Anyway, knowing that instrument helped a bunch in the SE. The clue on MAIL threw me (10A: Stamp collector?) but everything around it just sorta filled itself in, and I finished up MAIL (and the whole puzzle) by writing in the "L" in LICORICE without ever even seeing the LICORICE clue. So, in the end, as promised, no biting, TOTAL SWEETHEART.
Bullets:
- 42D: F in physics (FARAD) — woo hoo, remembered this despite having absolutely no memory of what a FARAD actually is. "The farad (symbol: F) is the unit of electrical capacitance, the ability of a body to store an electrical charge, in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to 1 coulomb per volt (C/V). It is named after the English physicist Michael Faraday (1791–1867)." (wikipedia)
- 39D: Canadian coin, informally (TOONIE) — well it's either gonna be the LOONIE or the TOONIE (the $1 and $2 Canadian coins, respectively). "Two" + "Loonie" = TOONIE. Portmanteau! (which, coincidentally, is the name of their never-minted $3 coin, as well as a small town on Lake Winnipeg)
- 23D: "Boulevard des Capucines" painter (MONET) — I'd like to thank EON for clearing up any possible MONET/MANET confusion here. Did you know there are two MONET paintings with this title? (both from 1873-74). It's true. And they're really different. I think I prefer the grayish one better, but I'd have to see them in person to really know. "Capucines" = nasturtiums, and not, as I thought, monkeys (those are "capuchins").
That's all for today. See you next time.
P.S.
P.P.S. 😎
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Rarely, in my entire life, have I been as delighted abour a crossword answer as WRECKXNEFFECT, which I knew how to spell and which blew the grid wide open for me. (Fun fact, "Rump Shaker" was cowritten by a teenage Pharrell Williams!)
ReplyDeleteVery easy for me, but I didn't care- this puzzle was a blast.
Same! I was toying around in the north and something led me there early on and it was really delightful to start the puzzle that way!
DeleteMike & Anonymous 10:16 AM
DeleteI like the fact we heard early from your generation. My guess is( haven’t read the comments yet) the central answer will cause a lot of complaint!. I had no clue but I figured it out. I liked the challenge.
Just remember to be open minded about us Boomers’ well known words and trivia.
I’m no constructor so would be fascinated to know - do you start with the idea of throwing down WRECKXNEFFECT or does it come later in constructing?
ReplyDeleteEvery themeless construction starts with a "seed entry", i. e. an answer that the constructor finds interesting in some way. Then the rest of the puzzle is built around that. The seed entry is almost always one of the long answers, and WRECKXNEFFECT has the strongest seed answer vibes in this grid. Erik's notes in Rex's P.P.S. at the bottom of the post confirm that it was indeed the seed.
DeleteTIL that WRECKXNEFFECT existed--never ever heard of them/him/it in my life. But the crosses were fair and in fact that answer went in via the crosses. ITS NOT EVEN a game before CLOSE, Force before FARAD, but otherwise not too many errors. I agree with @Rex--this was a fun Saturday puzzle, and for me and my lack of 90s rap knowledge appropriately difficult for a Saturday.
ReplyDeleteForce before Farad as well.
Delete@Adam, also never heard of WRECKXNEFFECT, and hoisted a white flag upon seeing the clue. But, magically, all of the crosses finished it off, followed by a final EYE at the result and a mental "hmm...ok".
DeleteFigured they/him/it for the WOTD, but not seeking a refund after learning about Schoningen SPEARS.
Also FoRce before FARAD. And got hung up on what came before SWEETHEART; our error was thinking it was a "___" equivalence clue. Great use of "!" in a clue referencing That (versus, more typically, It).
One of the best puzzles this year, IMO. No quibbles about the final half-star, but assume many here would have RATEd it A TEN (i.e., five).
Exactly my experience. No idea about WRECKXNEFFECT, A GAME before CLOSE, and FORCE before FARAD. I even made a comment about the FARAD when FARADAYS showed up recently.
DeleteWhile solving the bottom half of the puzzle, I kept staring at WRECKXNEFFECT, expecially the letters around the X. I wondered how that would even be pronounced, and repeatedly reassured myself that the crosses all looked correct.
Agree with the fun of the puzzle but having no idea for WRECKNXEFFECT required slogging through every cross.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good puzzle, and I enjoyed it. I’m not sure I agree with Rex’s easy-medium difficulty rating, but we all have different strengths. I was trying for Loonie and also Meh (instead of Mid), and I have never heard of the song or artist across the center; so, I learned at least one new thing. A pleasant Saturday to all.
ReplyDeleteAs a SUNY Albany graduate CARILLON was easy. Rex, that's a CARILLON in the center of the fountain in the center of the concrete jungle campus at the University at Albany. That's also the name of the Alumni Newsletter.
ReplyDeleteThat answer was a Gimme, glad to see my 4 year degree finally paying off.
PS: my Master's degree is from the great scholarly school now known as The University at Binghamton, previously called SUNY Binghamton, back in my day. I'm older than the cave SPEARS.
I hadn’t heard about the name change, saw a reference recently to the University of Binghamton, and thought, “Huh, Binghamton is big enough to have two universities?” Thanks for clearing up my confusion, Lisa B. You’re a TOTAL SWEETHEART.
DeleteAs a Cornell grad, didn’t know about the name change either, and then thought of Harpur College. I now see that some SUNY units still have that as part of their name.
DeleteMy granddaughter just applied to Binghamton and I hope she gets in. I usually find Erik’s and Brendan’s puzzles hard to solve but this one was quite easy and enjoyable. I hope this an omen that my granddaughter will be accepted.🎈🎈🎊🎊
Delete@anonymous 9:41am I was mistaken. The Former SUNY BINGHAMTON is now called BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY. SUNY ALBANY is the UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY OR UALBANY.
DeleteBoth schools have a style guide which prohibits using "SUNY" in the name, it is prohibited in all official communications and publications and a big push to never say it!
Although the legal official name of U Albany is still the State University of New York at Albany.
When I sent Rex a snail mail I had an old letterhead from my days as a TA from my department at BINGHAMTON which had SUNY BINGHAMTON on the address. I thought he'd like to see some antique memorabilia.
SUNY (take your style guide and shove it) Albany class of 75 here!
DeleteI haven't seen TOASTED-brand crackers in the groceries out here. They look to be just like Ritz crackers.
ReplyDeleteIt must have been easy for all you crack solvers. I solved it clean. Enjoyed doing it.
Thinner than Ritz. Step up from them (barely) here in MI.
DeleteWhat do you get when you meld two crossword legends? This!
ReplyDeleteQuality construction. Look, for instance, at that three-stack across the middle, and then look at every word that crosses it – not a single dud. That is high-grade polish.
Colorful answers. IT’S NO EVEN CLOSE and TOTAL SWEETHEART spanning the box. Mwah! Plus, I DON’T BITE, RATES A TEN, ADROIT, even CHUMPS.
Not to mention cluing wordplay, answers coming from a wide variety of fields, and a lovely mix of footholds and tough-to-gets. And the stirring KEEP HOPE ALIVE bannering the center of the box.
The goods were so good.
I’m not surprised. Erik and Brendan, your puzzles are simply marvelous to uncover. Crosswords as art, crosswords as craft. Crosswords as fun. Thank you for doing it again today!
Much tougher than Rex states, but still enjoyable. One nit to pick - how is a riata 'a rounded object', except in one configuration (coiled)? Seems a pretty weak clue.
ReplyDeleteWhen you're on the horse, don't you make a loop with the riata in order to catch the calf or bull or whatever you're chasing? That's what I was picturing in my head....
DeleteI believe the riata is always tied with the loop on the end for ease of use and also it would otherwise be a rope
DeleteThis is a good opportunity to mention BEQ’s word game, called Align, that I’ve been playing for many months. It’s free. Just punch in “Boston Globe Align”. It usually takes less than five minutes, and if you like crosswords, I believe you’ll love this game. Aside from crosswords, I play two other word-playing games regularly, and Align is one of them. It’s fun, and to me, it just doesn’t grow old.
ReplyDelete...and the other one is?
Delete@burtonkd -- Wordle.
DeleteAgreed, Align is delightful.
DeleteWhen the sound from a bell tower is especially pleasant and nice, it's a sweet CARILLON.
ReplyDelete:-) good one
Deleteoh-oh-oh. . . .
DeleteHere’s a minority opinion. The puzzle was Wednesday easy. It was as fresh as Sam Snead. EON, which has no relationship to FEELS, crosses the marquis answer—a 1992 rap group I never heard of with an indecipherable spelling. Sour grapes? Maybe.
ReplyDeleteAgree on the eon cluing but liked it otherwise.
DeleteGood Saturday. Based on the two constructors I would have expected to struggle with this a lot more than I did. My biggest hang-ups were TREASUREchest and TOASTEDS - hand up for never having seen those.
ReplyDeleteIs this some kind of team-up week at the NYT?
Interesting. When I saw the constructors, I decided to pass but you've encouraged me to give it a shot. :-)
DeleteI never listen to rap and never heard of WRECKXNEFFECT, and there is simply no way to guess it. Have mercy.
ReplyDeleteI never listen to opera but still figure out the six opera clues in the puzzles every single week. Get over it.
DeleteWhich of the crosses for WRECKXNEFFECT gave you trouble? Or are you just complaining about rap for the sake of complaining about rap?
DeleteTo be fair to Barry, IF he was unsure about any of the crosses, entering WRECKXNEFFECT feels like something is amiss. I grew up in the right time and place to have heard of this group but i havent. I dont know how its pronounced. And it certainly doesnt look like a legit entry.
DeleteI never listen rap and never heard of them either, but got it completely from crosses with no problem. Instead of getting mad I was happy to learn something new.
Delete"I like big butts and I cannot lie":
DeleteSir Mix-a-lot
@Mike: your response to @Barry made a good point, but was unfortunately spoiled by the rude personal comment at the end.
DeleteHey All !
ReplyDeleteHappy Halloween!
SatPuz toughness at first, but then answers started flowing like a broken dam. Odd how that happens.
Did end up with a one-letter DNF, though. Had RATES A ToN/oTES. Argh!
Nice SatPuz. Both Themelesses this weekend were collabs by oft published constructors. Strange. Maybe because we just had a full moon on the 26th. Neat to still have it almost full on Halloween. And there's rain in the forecast here, so we even get the clouds effect in front of said moon.
Didn't watch, but heard, apparently the World Series had a ITS NOT EVEN CLOSE series. The Brewers were only three outs from the four game sweep, but failed to close out that game. They did win the next game, ergo, World Champs. Congrats to them and their fans. First time!
Stay safe Trick-or-Treating tonight. Let the moon guide your way. Oh, and don't forget tonight is Time Change! At 2AM on (technically) Nov 1, your clocks magically turn back one hour to 1AM. Extra hour of sleep! (Or partying, if you're still Halloweening.)
Hope y'all have a great Saturday!
FIVE F's - EYE like it!
RooMonster
DarrinV
A friend of mine went into Art History. He says he's only in it for the MONET.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to the day SPEARS is clued with "Britney or asparagus."
Our anonymous posters must be thrilled to see themselves in the puzzle today at 11D!
*******
Happy Halloween -- I've already eaten 3 bags of mini-Nestle Crunch. Have to maintain my ghoulish figure.
How many Impressionists does it take to change a light bulb? Not Manet.
DeleteErik mentions Rex in his comments on Xwordinfo:
ReplyDeleteI commended BEQ on his excellent Sunday themeless last year, which led to a mention of Rex Parker, which led to Wreckx-N-Effect. No surprise that a star of the Boston Typewriter Orchestra can always be counted on for good song recs.
On the easier side for me. Loved that I remembered WRECKXNEFFECT (only after populating with a few letters) and had the same exact misspelling (the s for the x) before fixing. Had "I DONT carE" and "a reAL SWEETHEART", Force before FARAD, and lOONIE before TOONIE but otherwise a swishy, fun Saturday. 17:24
ReplyDeleteI need help understanding how 'Arrived at' and 'FLOWN INTO' is ok. FLeW INTO, though too short, would be correct.
ReplyDeleteI had flown into Seattle last month -- I had arrived in Seattle last month. Awkward, but I think it's legit.
DeleteMaybe if you were referring to cargo rather than a person
DeleteLynn had arrived at Sea-Tac two days before she hiked Mt. Rainier.
DeleteLynn had flown into Sea-Tac two days before she hiked Mt. Rainier.
Clunky, like the rest of the cluing in this abysmal puzzle.
Just posted this at the end, but should have posted it here: "arrived" and "flown" are past participles of "arrive" and "flew," not the past tense
DeleteI was flown into SeaTac yesterday by my buddy Jim
DeleteLynn
DeleteArrived, like most verbs, doesn’t vary between past tense and past particle. So arrived can be a past particle. I don’t see the problem. (I was meant to be a tricky clue and it tricked me. It was the last thing I figured out).
Am I the only one that thinks "Couldn't get any higher" should be RATED A TEN?
ReplyDeleteRATES A TEN should be clued "Can't get any higher."
Agree
DeleteCompletely agree.
DeleteIt could not get any higher; it was rated a ten. So, disagree.
DeleteRated a ten should be clued green paint
DeleteSome whoosh, some "no idea" this AM. Confidently threw in ITSNOTEVENCLOSE, then erased THEN because I had LOONIE. Eventually changed that and the SE wasn't too bad, although...
ReplyDeleteThe SE had just one of the long answers that were unknowns--ANASTASIA. See also TOTALSWEETHEART, which is not something I say, unless describing our new cat, and WRECKXNEFFECT. I knew the X had to be right but it sure looked funny. Not familiar with their oeuvre, which I'm sure is substantial.
Agree with OFL on the CRAFT-"mastery" clue. Had the M from MEL and wrote in SCHMOS, which I congratulated myself on, but I'm not even sure I spelled that right, plus it was wrong. Probably the most esoteric clue possible for SPEARS, but I learned something.
Had enough crunch for me to appreciate your Saturday offering, EA and BEQ. Encountered Adversity But Every Questionable clue eventually became clear, and thanks for all the fun.
pabloinnh
DeleteAbout your comment yesterday as to Italian spelling. Actually, Italians pronounce the double consonants differently from the single consonants. They hold the sound slightly longer . So bara (bier) and barra (rod or bar) are are not said the same way . . Italians can tell the difference.
@pabloinnh - I too briefly had SCHMOS and also wondered about the spelling
DeleteAs soon as I saw the co-constructors' names, I gave myself permission to look up anything that was totally out of my wheelhouse, which turned out to be two items: WRECKX-N-EFFECT and the SPEARS. In retrospect, I could probably have got them if I hadn't convinced myself that I couldn't. Bad attitude on my part. (I also looked up Cocoa KRISPIES, just to be sure they were a real thing, and ANASTASIA, since the older movie I knew was not a cartoon--and not even the same Anastasia, apparently).
ReplyDeleteEither way, it was a fun solve, second in a row. I'm sure the juxtaposition of these two collaborations was intentional.
Since the news has been full of El Nino effects all summer, it took me an EON to realize the puzzle wanted a tilde.
Gotta run, I've got exams to grade.
For the F in physics, my brain immediately went to chemistry and refused to give it up ever. “Iron! Wait no, iron doesn’t fit, and it’s Fe. What is F then? I can’t remember…I’ll have to get some crosses first.” [Turns out that was Fluorine, which wouldn’t have fit either, nor did I know it.]
ReplyDeleteF=ma
DeleteHard for me — lots outside my little wheelhouse. But it’s nice to see such a happy Rex.
ReplyDeleteInteresting fact: The founder of WRECKXNEFFECT was an EXPELling Bee champ.
ReplyDeleteEvery time they RATESATaN he RATESATEN in the Hades Times/Ipsos poll.
If [End of a letter] is SERIF, I guess that "Back end of a letter" would be FIRES.
Ted Cruz and Ted Nugent have been hanging out together, and one thing they're drawn TOASTEDS seems to be the destruction of democracy.
Well, this was a smooth, enjoyable show of constructing CRAFT. Thanks, Erik Agard and Brendan Emmett Quigley.
Absolute gems, Egs!
DeleteSeeing the constructors’ names raised expectations to a high level, not quite met, mainly because some of the clueing seemed just off a bit. I think @Rex was being star-struck when he rated this one, though it is surely a fine themeless puzzle.
ReplyDeleteAs for the music-makers whom I will simply refer to as “X”—I too headed straight to Google…
webwinger
Fun puzzle. Though “total sweet heart” for “that’s a good one” doesn’t seem right.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 9:41AM
DeleteYou left out the exclamation point. That’s important. There is fairly recent trend in cluing where a ! signals that the noun phrase after “that’s”is the key part of the clue. So good one, meaning here a good person, leads to the answer Rex calls them letteral clues. A bit tricky but it is Saturday
Have to run before finishing the puzzle or reading @Rex but can't help what a kick to see CHUMPS
ReplyDelete....what a kick to see CHUMPS crossing KEEP HOPE ALIVE. New kitten pressed publish too soon!
ReplyDeleteWith Tuesday’s midterms on my mind, I was very happy to see Keep Hope Alive and Not Even Close.
ReplyDeleteYes!!!
DeleteMuch harder for me, almost a DNF. F=ma?? Force, of course. Took a while to get farad.
ReplyDeleteBut, click on the hyper link in Rex's write for Michael Faraday. No formal education, but he essentially invented modern electricity. Refused to make chemical weapons; refused a knighthood. Remarkable man.
Tough for me. Took me an hour, and a good part of that was spent on the NW, where I was sure either "can't" or "won't" would folllow the I in 14A, and I couldn't think of ADROIT so didn't get the D. Finally had to reveal that square in order to finish up.
ReplyDeleteLots of things I've never heard of, so they didn't come easily: TOASTEDS, Vous ETES ici, FARAD, TOONIE, WRECKXNEFFECT. Didn't know the hair TWISTS either, but luckily the rest of the SW was the easiest area for me.
Not much of a Halloween feel to this puzzle, which was a bit disappointing, but still a good puzzle.
Agree about the puzzle and freshness of the answers, but many clues just felt slightly off, as mentioned by others here:
ReplyDeleteFLOWNINTO - Arrived at is just very strange
TOTAL SWEETHEART - I only think of this as a person, clue has an "it"
RATESATEN for past tense "couldn't".
Rex would be ripping this apart for several paragraphs if it were a weak mid-week theme. Was the 4.5 stars before or after knowing it was a tribute:) Seriously, congrats, well-deserved!
I loved the end of a letter for SERIF
I didn't know the name WRECKXNEFFECT, but listened to enough of the video to get to - "All I wanna do is zoom-zoom-zoom-zoom and a boom-boom, just shake your rump" - which was somehow inescapable and DEFINITELY doing its job as a hook.
Drawing pad had me thinking of some kind of place like a "studio" - I tried to make "sublet" fit for a brief minute.
Lynn 8:56 am: "arrived" and "flown" are past participles of "arrive" and "flew," not the past tense.
ReplyDeleteI will be sad if Rex does not change his moniker to Wreckx in honor of this arcane clue
ReplyDeleteFought my way through this one until all that was left was the NW, but just couldn't climb that final hill. I suppose the fact that I couldn't un-see housEREPS did me in.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t know the WRECKX band but was fun to learn the vocal connection to Rex. Had the same problem many did with the present tense for RATES instead of RATEd, but the cross was clear. Similar uncertainty with regard to FLOWN. Had to look up SPEARS and FARAD (tho recalled that once I saw the answer) but otherwise had fun poking my way through this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteMedium for me today. I didn't have as much success in the NW as Rex so I started with "ahem" at 48D and Force at 42D; the CARILLON came to my rescue. I only know the word because one of my early piano practice pieces had that title.
ReplyDeleteI was a little nervous with Erik Agard and BEQ as co-constructors. They've both stumped me individually - how brutal could they be together? But this was nice.
Nice Halloween theme today.
ReplyDeleteI retired last year from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and “Boulevard des Capucines” (the gray one) is in our permanent collection. I never knew there was a second and I really love the light and shadow in it. If you ever make it to Kansas City, the museum is a world class gem.
ReplyDeleteI agree Kansas City has a real SWEETHEART of an ART museum, and such a beautiful facility, although it’s likely overlooked by many.
DeleteVery enjoyable & a great collaboration by 2 pros (WRECKXNEFFECT???).
ReplyDeleteThank you both :)
My reaction to seeing the two constructors' names was close to "Abandon hope, ye who enter here." That goes especially for BEQ: I knew there'd be a music reference that would stymie me...and there was. Anyway - for me the puzzle was just right for a Saturday, hard + doable + fun to work out. Great long phrases!
ReplyDeleteEven not knowing the center musical group I waded through this pretty quickly until I got to the SE where I was totally stumped - thought force had to be right, and didn’t know the sports team and questioned the end to FLOWN - INTO or down? Finally got local assistance for the golfer and options for teams at American Airlines hub and was able to unravel the rest. Like the SWEETHEART answer and I DON'T BITE was good too.
ReplyDeleteAll my (lower 48) life, I spelled it "Twonie"
ReplyDeleteEisenhower is my first President of memory. I didn’t know much about policy those days but i remember sitting in front of the tv mesmerized by that distinguished knowledgeable man who had and deserved the respect of everyone in the room. Alas.
ReplyDeleteAmen!
DeleteA skosh tougher than medium for me partly because WRECKXNEFFECT was a WOE.
ReplyDeleteCostly erasures - Meh before MID, TIARA before RIATA at 1 down, and mAyI before CANI.
I also did not know ETES, ANASTASIA, TWISTS, SPEARS, TOASTEDS, and KOREA.
Solid and smooth with a bit of crunch and more than a soupçon of sparkle, liked it a bunch!
A veritable cheese cake factory of cool answers. Plus that Rump Shaker rap group.
ReplyDelete66-worder, by two of the Kings of Crossword Constructioneerin. Like.
staff weeject pick: MID. Its clue was not good -- but also not bad?
primo all-weejecta-rows #5 & #10, btw.
some faves of the faves: ITSNOTEVENCLOSE. IDONTBITE [close to an anti-Halloween nibble, at least]. KEEPHOPEALIVE. FAN ?-marker clue.
There wurn't very many ?-marker clues. Unusual, for a SatPuz by these 2 dudes.
Thanx for gangin up on us, Mr. Agard & BEQ dudes. Nice collabbin. Enjoyed it, which is sayin somethin, for a themeless solvequest, at our house.
Masked & Anonymo2Us
p.s.
Happy Halloween, y'all!
Runt puzzle that don't bite, much:
**gruntz**
M&A
Surely Rex remembers the Ann Arbor carillons!
ReplyDeleteOne of only two US universities offering a carillon degree.
Widely considered the academic epicenter for the instrument, UMich offers a specific Master of Music (MM) in Carillon Performance. Under faculty like Professor Tiffany Ng, graduate students utilize two massive on-campus towers (the 53-bell Charles Baird Carillon and the 60-bell Lurie Carillon)
A real mixed bag for me today. I love both of these constructors, but today's collaboration was just the strangest combination of "really-way-too-easy-for-a-Saturday" and "totally-unknown-to-me" brand names, archeological artifacts, idioms and rap groups. And even with the unknown WRECKXNEFFECT plastered across the center, that wasn't the hard part. My difficulty was almost entirely in the NW, where the unknown TOASTEDS crossed TOTAL SWEETHEART. Count me among those who don't think the latter fits its clue at all. And the crackers: never heard of them. Asked my spouse: she's never heard of them either. Looked them up: the packaging looks totally unfamiliar. They're not even included in Wikipedia's List of Brand-name Crackers. So I'm baffled. Got that answer from crosses, but honestly was surprised when it turned out to be correct. A very odd puzzle that I finished in 3/4 of my average Saturday time.
ReplyDeleteThe Boulevard des Capucines got its name from its proximity to a convent of Capuchin nuns. The capucine (nasturtium) is named for its resemblance to the shape of the Capuchins’ hood. The same for the little monkeys whose coloring reminded early Portuguese travelers of the same hooded cloak.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 1:19 PM.
DeleteI thought the flower source of the street name was unlikely. Thanks.
To add to your list, cappuccino stems from the color of the coffee which reminded Italians also of said monks’ hoods.
Like others apparently, I shuddered when I saw the names of the constructors and decided to give it a pass. That was last night when I was tired from obsessively-compulsively redoing the landscaping work I had just paid $300 to have done. But after reading comments this morning, I felt confident (and rested) enough to give it a whirl.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I accepted the challenge! I had to look up the center rap spanner but that was it. Got myself in a big jam in the NW with TRISKETS for the cracker brand without realizing it was misspelled, which is kind of sad because I have a box of them in my cabinet. Anyway, that error combined with I WONT (dont) BITE held me up for quite a while before I finally saw TILDE. Good clue there.
A good bit of trivia, but most of it was fair and fairly crossed. A real pleasure to solve. Thank you gentlemen, for this jewel of a Saturday.
In physics, F is Force (F=MA). As an electrical engineer, I wrote in Force. Farad is used in electronic circuits (usually micro or pico Farads). In the Physics branch of Electricity and Magnetism, Farad would be appropriate. Incredibly great misdirect.
ReplyDeleteLots of crunchy stuff, but I sure got hung up on "F in physics". Physics was my first degree, and F was always, always FORCE. Because the F and R were correct, I resisted changing it for ages. When I finally tried FARAD, I said: you've gotta be kidding me. I don't know if they did it as a deliberate misdirect but they sure hung me up.
ReplyDeleteAnd for 45 down "Slammin' Sammy" had to be SOSA... but it's 5 letters so, SOSSA? No way. I'd totally forgotten Sammy SNEAD.
Also, RIATA is not a word according to Spelling Bee. No fair!
Since when is Spelling Bee a dictionary?
DeleteAnonymous 3:06 pm
DeleteHe is talking about the Spelling Bee trap. . He like most SB players, is complaining that its word list is very arbitrary. He rejected RIATA not realizing that it isn’t in the SB list but IS a word
Just to be clear, I wasn't complaining that the puzzle used RAITA; more that SB rejects it when it accepts a lot of really obscure words like YENTE.
Deletewas thrilled to see Erik give you a shout out - phenom puzzle collab as well.. hope to see one of your puzzles or collab's on the times Rex. happy halloween
ReplyDeleteThis was an above average Saturday which was a welcome relief after yesterday's bowl of mush. I've never heard of the rap group but the crosses were fair. My biggest irritation was seeing RIATA once again. This is it's 67th appearance in the NYTXW just in the Shortz era and yet it's excuded from the Spelling Bee list.
ReplyDeleteI came away from the NW sure of only AIL and NET. My real start was figuring out the MID/MEH and MONET/MANET kealoas. I filled the puzzle from there finishing in the SE. Had the same FLOWN/FLEW issue as others did. As always it was crosses to the rescue.
My other SB issue was an ABACY/ABBEY write over. The first is a complete misspelling but that's normal for me. Thanks to the SB my brain is always favoring words that don't use an E even if I have to force them to fit.
SB Spoiler alert--skip if you want
DeleteMy last two words in today were "unhang" and "unhanging". I have serious doubts that either of these are words.
I’m still a little guy, and I was disappointed in myself that I hadn’t heard of the hip hop duo til today. However, Anastasia was an easy lock. I remember watching that one with my hands over my eyes. It’s a scary movie for tots!
ReplyDeleteThis got off to an inauspicious start when RATE A TEN, ENT, ETE, TOASTED and STATE REP all needed some help to fill their slots. Things brightened a bit when LANCET. LINEAR and MONET showed up.
ReplyDeleteHad no idea who the rap group was but I decided to KEEP HOPE ALIVE and finally got it via crosses.
In another life long ago, I was an electronics maintenance tech so I'm always grateful when entries like today's FARAD (Michael Faraday) or old friends like OHM (Georg Ohm), VOLT (Alessandro Volta) and AMP (André-Marie Ampère drop by to help my solve.
My alma mater San Diego State has a campus CARILLON tower with a 204-bell, six octave system. It's the Hardy Memorial Tower installed in 1946.
No muerdo.
ReplyDeleteI anticipated seeing fan-boy 🦖 after discovering who put this together and the gratis one-star grade inflation. I also anticipated seeing the "it's the most important musical thing everybody should know by now" crowd singing the praises of the Alphabet Soup singers.
So much cringe, but still kinda fun to fill out and my timer says it's about right for a themeless Saturday, if there can be anything right about themeless Saturdays.
Stamp collector? as MAIL is a complete clank in the comedy basement. Minus one funnyism. ART TABLET is a thing, but nobody has ever called one that name. I can tolerate an opera from time to time, but I can't be bothered to learn the foreign language names of the songs therein even if those ARIAS are the soul of it. I am a huge oven-baked cracker fan, but if the answer isn't Cheez-It then it's wrong. MID, please. The name of an ORC, please. So many great ways to clue TIARA, and they go with the spelling, ugh. VIDEO FEED and STATE REPS are eighteen letters of yawn and tack on FLOWN INTO and I need a nap. If you are writing a puzzle and your software barfs out SNEAD, write a different puzzle.
TREASURE CHEST for me too. The tilde schtick gets me every time.
EJECT -> EVICT -> EXPEL. Sigh.
❤️ I DON'T BITE. CARILLON. TOTAL SWEETHEART. CHUMPS.
Gunkometer--
People: 4
Places: 1
Products: 9
Partials: 6
Foreignisms: 4
--
Gary's Grid Gunk Gauge: 24 of 66 (36%)
Funny Factor: 1 🤨
Uniclues:
1 What's in Britney's belfry along with her bats.
2 Crown for American royalty helicoptering.
3 If it's not zero, then it appears in crosswords way too many times.
4 What's got the caballero tied up in knots.
5 Foolish friar, or pathetic preacher, or booby brother, or dorky deacon.
1 SPEARS CARILLON
2 MARINE ONE TIARA (~)
3 VIDEO FEED STAT (~)
4 RIATA TWISTS
5 ABBEY CHUMPS
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: Reaction of a NYTXW editor upon seeing their favorite word in a new submission. ASS? THAT'S SO COOL!
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
As I expected from the constructors, this certainly had its (many) charms. For me, I'd put it between medium and challenging, closer to challenging, but what a great ride! I called yesterday's a labor of love, I'd put this one in the same category.
ReplyDeleteI thought all the stacks really popped today but man they were tough. No clue on WRECKXNEFFECT but the crosses were all very fair (well, Saturday fair) and the letter combo is so whacky looking that it's hard not to like it. I'm gonna go give them a listen.
IDONTBITE may have been the last to fall. The clue took me in a totally different direction, something along the lines of "I'm all good" or something like that. I think my brain read the clue "no need to worry *about* me..." It was a nice moment when it fell, nice cluing, nice fill.
Speaking of taking me in a totally different direction, 3D with the spanner TOTALSWEETHEART did just that as well. The clue (That's a good one!) had me thinking that we were referring to some kind of joke. I was all over the place with that one. Every time I think I learned my lesson with those darn exclamation points, I get tripped up. But what fun to go through twists and turns like that twice in the same puzzle - that's great stuff! And this one, along with the other down spanner, ITSNOTEVENCLOSE, both have that in-the-language feel that warms my hear every time. So extra points!
I had plenty of struggles today but they were all a lot of fun to navigate. Thank you Erik and Brendan, what a team!
Had FORCE (as in F=MA, i.e., force = mass X acceleration) before realizing it didn't fit the crosses and remembered FARAD.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, I didn’t read the constructors’ names. So no dread beforehand. Did it on paper so not timed but medium I think. Did not know the seed rap group but eventually figured it out. I didn’t think of a beginning W till near the end The NW was by far the hardest for me. That small c in capitol was crucial which I didn’t notice for a long time. Had reps then finally, state does work!
ReplyDeleteAlso in the NW. Rex calls them letteral clues. 3 down A lot of people ignored or missed the! So they thought the answer was off. It’s not. “That’s” with a noun noun phrase etc and ! means the noun is the real clue. Here good one, meaning good person. Tricky. Took me a while to figure out but I liked it. Rates a ten. Obviously d was impossible so I put in the s. It didn’t bother me once I figured it out. I assume they & editors have an explanation.
Rex liked the puzzle for especially its great long answers I did too except:
As a Boomer of course no clue about the rap group (?) but I got it in the end. So no joy for me for that answer but I thought it fair on a weekend. I don’t think he was being biased. Remember he rates the puzzle from HIS solving experience. And he obviously had a very good time
Hey there Gary J. Your comment today just made my whole week. My sentiments exactly, and as usual, I wish I could be clever enough - just once - to create a trophy worthy uniclue . SPEARS CARILLON was 🔥🎇🔥🎇🔥🎇. Just picturing Brittney in the belfry with her bats was a full LOL. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis was fun and very quick to solve but given the bylines, nothing really special. Once again, I blame the top brass at whatever office of the NYT has the final word on level of difficulty of the daily crossword. In truth, and in these these days when it’s all about profit, that decision obviously has nothing to do with difficulty and clearly lacks any desire to honor and encourage two of the most well know (and to me beloved) crossword constructors of my 60+ years of solving.
After the last year of consistently declining difficulty and apparent abandonment of the old “puzzles become more challenging as the week passes” protocol, the obvious “Prime Directive” from the corner office to constructors now mandates solvability by the folks with average experience because those who are able to solve (with or without a few “Googles”) will - by offering easier “main” puzzles, apparently continue to subscribe and subscriptions thereby increase - ergo, the piggy banks continue to jingle. Heavy sigh.
So, Mr. A and BEQ, please accept my heartfelt apology (that should, alas be coming from the NYT). In my opinion, you deserve the extra ⭐️and a half from 🦖 just for leaving the myriad of crunchy, juicy, mind-bending clues of lovely Saturday-ness that must be rolling around in the electronic and neural trash cans of your computers and minds upon completing this ok but far from Saturday offering.
I did think KEEP HOPE ALIVE immediately under the Alphabet Singers entry (worth another giggle, Gary 🥳) was the apex i exhibiting our constructors’ prowess today.
I’m about to look for some new puzzles published elsewhere from Erik and BEQ because it’s Saturday. I’m a cranky old broad and I want a Saturday puzzle!
@CDilly52 8:47 PM
DeleteThere you are! Nice to have you back.
Had FORCE for "F in physics" (as in F= MA; force= mass x acceleration) before realizing it didn't fit with the crosses and remembered FARAD.
ReplyDelete"Whoa!" is what I shouted in my head after seeing Friday's byline. I cussed out loud when I saw the byline this morning. Probably my favorite Fri/Sat of all time. Definitely did not expect either of these collabs. Trick *and* treat!
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen @SouthsideJohnny in a while, but it's nice to see @CDilly again!
R.I.P. John (2013), my older brother, middle son of 3. He introduced me to rap in the late '80s/early '90s. Unless you were forced to listen to only classical/church music, you have no idea what a blessing that was. I eventually discovered rock/metal/satanic music (NIN), but I learned to appreciate all kinds of music.
Been busy with other stuff, but still lurking.__.
for your consideration for a truly proper halloween puzzle Rex and friends: "Cemeteries should be banned they don't honor the dead nor hold those spirits of the living body. our skeletons are not US" hope you all have a happy spooky halloween and honor the dead not SUGAR. bwahahahahaahahaha Candy has zero to do with The Day of the Dead. oh sure have a little.. and get Type 1 or 2 Diabetes!
ReplyDeleteWas I the only one who went with "keeps the faith" ? Seemed so solid I left it in for ages despite the obvious "it's not even close" cross.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the late response, traveling all day yesterday & off for the winter. See you all next spring
Robin and Rafael on Friday, then Eric and BEQ on Saturday? Somebody pinch me!
ReplyDeleteThe Bell Tower at Michigan has a true CARILLON
ReplyDelete