This week’s AV Club puzzle has a meta = we’ll be covering it on 4/24, once the deadline for that has closed
Emanuel Ax and Brad Wilber’s New York Times crossword—Jenni’s write-up
This is another in the series of Celebrity Crossword Collaborations celebrating the 75th anniversary of the New York Times Crossword. I was delighted to open the puzzle and see the byline for Emanuel Ax and Brad Wilber. Emanuel Ax is a master pianist who loves crossword puzzles, and Brad Wilber is a master cruciverbalist who loves the piano. A perfect match. This is also Brad’s 50th crossword for the Times – mazel tov, Brad!
Pop on over to Wordplay to read the story of the puzzle. Will was the matchmaker, and he and Joel provided grid tweaking, along with Brad’s frequent collaborator Doug Peterson. Not surprisingly, we have a musical theme and a grid to match.
NYT 10/19 puzzle, solution grid
- 20a [Classic song with the lyric “Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist?”]. I’d love to hear Emanuel Ax play MONSTER MASH.
- 4d [Drink often garnished with a cherry] is a WHISKEY SOUR. I love whiskey sours. I know, not hip. But yum.
- 54a [Like some magicians’ assistants, apparently] would be SAWED IN HALF. The key word is “apparently.”
- 26d [Exercise-induced euphoria] is a RUNNERS HIGH.
And the revealer at 52d: [Word that can follow the ends of 20- and 54-Across and 4- and 26-Down] is NOTE. We also have an eighth NOTE in the middle of the grid to tie everything together in a lovely, musical bow.
I like the way the theme answers cross. They’re all solidly in the language and MONSTER MASH and SAWED IN HALF made me giggle. Very nice.
A few other things:
- If everything is [Hunky-dory], you could also say it’s JAKE. If you’re in the 1920s. I love old slang.
- I am married to a geologist, and the Richter scale comes up in conversation fairly often. I’ve never heard him use the term SEISM to describe a tectonic event. I just asked David if geologists ever used this word, and he said “Yes, but usually with ‘micro’ in front of it.”
- 35a [Trattoria order?] is not the food; it’s what your Italian grandmother will order you to do. MANGIA!
- 44a [“La Cage aux Folles” enterprise] is a DRAG SHOW. Has this appeared in the NYT before?
- Speaking of old words and crossword-only words, we have AGLET. Haven’t seen that one in a while. See also ERE I and RONS.
- 34d [Not statistically based, as evidence] is ANECDOTAL. Repeat after me: anecdotes are not data. Thank you.
I really liked this puzzle, and not just because I’m a total Emanuel Ax fangirl. Hey, since I’ve met Brad (and I’m also a Brad Wilber fangirl), I’m now one degree of separation from Emanuel Ax! Squee! Oh, right, the puzzle. Sorry. Sometimes stunt grids constrain the puzzle so much that the solving suffers; not here. This is a fun puzzle with a great story and a very cool grid.
I leave you with Emanuel Ax bringing music to the people of Toronto.
Ned White’s Wall Street Journal crossword, “Take a Bite Out of Crime” — Jim’s review
This just in! Crime spree at the supermarket!
WSJ – Wed, 4.19.17 – “Take a Bite Out of Crime” by Ned White
- 17a [*Shoplifted spud, ready to be fenced?] HOT POTATO
- 22a [*Heisted Hershey’s treats?] STOLEN KISSES
- 38a [*Fish caught illegally?] POACHED FLOUNDER. Are flounders the most poachable fish? I went with salmon at first. This feels a little “green painty” to me, but what say you?
- 54a [*Illegal scheme to sell zucchini?] SQUASH RACKET. I prefer the other spelling (racquet) and so do most online vendors apparently, but obviously that wouldn’t work with the theme. This is still legit.
- 64a [Where those involved in the starred crimes may end up?] FOOD COURT. Ha!
The theme doesn’t need a revealer, so I wasn’t expecting it. I actually chortled when I uncovered it. It was either a chortle or a guffaw, not sure. Unfortunately, no one was around to hear it so I can’t tell you definitively, but thankfully, no one was around to hear it.
I love the consistency. Each theme answer is about one food item and one crime. Perfect title, too. What isn’t consistent is SQUASH RACKET. The others end in the pilfered food, this one doesn’t. But that’s a minor nit.
I really enjoy this type of theme where existing phrases are given re-imagined meanings. And if it’s done with humor, all the better. If you’ll forgive the self-indulgence, I’m really reminded of my Dude, Where’s My Car? puzzle from a couple years ago, except today’s offering has an added funny punch line. Bravo!
So, much love from me on the theme. How’s the fill? Pretty good, though nothing stellar since there are no long Downs. I do like AGHAST next to BRONTE and the jokey AHNOLD.
Oh, I missed the 9s in the Acrosses: GREENSPAN and ALL IS TRUE clued as [Original title of Shakespeare’s “Henry VIII”]. Whew! Another deep-digging Shakespeare reference. I’m glad olde Will changed the title.
Speaking of unusual entries: ICEFOGS clued as [Arctic weather phenomena]. Who knew this was a thing?
Cluing was quite good, but the SW seemed particularly tough for me, especially:
- 59d [Toro, e.g.]. TUNA. New to me. Apparently the fatty belly meat of the TUNA is called “toro.” Olé!
- 55d [Letter to an editor]. QUERY. I’m still not getting this. Feels like it should have a “maybe” or “perhaps” appended.
Other clues of note:
- 42d [Bust maker]. NARC. We’re not talking art here.
- 9d [Lose one’s shadow]. SHAVE. Clever. Is it 5 o’clock already?
- 34d [It can help you raise your voice]. HELIUM. Another nice one.
Overall, a fun and funny puzzle.
C.C. Burnikel’s LA Times crossword – Gareth’s write-up
LA Times
170419
FISHHEAD – eww! No thanks! Otherwise, it’s a straightforward theme: FISH are found at the HEAD of several answers: (BASS)ETHOUND [my colleague took a rubber ball out of one’s intestine this morning; let’s hope he has an uneventful recovery! Those dogs will swallow anything! They’re worse than labs, which is saying something!], (SOLE)MNOATH, (CARP)ORT, (SALMON)ELLA, and (SKATE)RDRESS (didn’t know that answer, but it seems “in”); the SKATE is the only one that is a member of Chondrichthyes…
Fill is well-polished. Look at BISCOTTI, MARSRED, THEWHO, and LESPAUL; all placed carefully, and not forced in with a hammer!
Liked the contemporary touch on the ARI clue, referencing Ariana Grande. If you are wondering about SIMIAN, Simiiformes includes all non-lemur primates.
3.75 Stars
Gareth
Thanks for the video and write-up, Jenni. Great start to the day.
Loved CC’s LA Times today. [Annoyed reply to “Are you awake?”] as IAMNOW, [Present mo.] clue for DEC, MTHOOD, the golf mini-theme, lots more great long fill, plus five themers and a revealer! Lots of fun stuff packed into the puzzle. Thanks CC!
I was delighted to see that a coauthor of today’s puzzle was the great pianist Emanuel (Manny) Ax. It was a fine puzzle, but I was hoping that it would have even more of a musical orientation, though I do like Otis Redding. I’m wondering if the 10-square design in the center represents a grand piano with the lid open.
I m to blame for this comment. I’m not sure how “Uare” got in there, though I suspect that my computer somehow jumped around when I was typing “10 square”. It does that sort of thing a lot.
Bruce Morton
Bruce — or should I say “uare”? — you crack me up. Why were you trying to type 10 square?
I was hoping you would have had said more about your buddy, Manny. I always enjoy your digressions, as I’m sure others do.
I have one Otis Redding album and I can honestly say “Dock of the Bay” is the only piece I like.
I’ve met him a couple times at after parties, but I don’t really know him.
Another thing I love about Emanuel Ax is that he’s a member of the Ax-Kim-Ma trio, three names with a total of seven letters.
And he also plays pieces for cello and piano with Yo Yo Ma, a combo I refer to as “max”
I thought today’s NYT was pretty cool. It certainly had a lot going for it for a Wednesday puzzle, all from a single NOTE — a cruciverbal Yves Klein “Monotone Symphony”. It seemed strange to find MONSTER_MASH in a springtime puzzle.
Thanks Brad and Manny for this Tuesday treat.
Thanks, too, to Jenni and all the other contributors for their insightful reviews. It adds a lot to the puzzle experience. Of course, I must thank Amy, too, for providing the platform to make all this happen. I’ve had a good time hanging out here.
I was totally surprised and delighted to read the constructors’ names and the delight lasted through my whole solving experience, slow but wonderful. I am always slow.
Thank you to everyone who cooperated in this enterprise, the commentators, and everyone Papa John thanked already so I won’t repeat it here.
This was a fun puzzle, but a “mash note”? Never heard of it!