Steve Overton’s New York Times crossword—Amy’s write-up
NY Times crossword solution, 6 9 17, no 0609
I’m worded out after Samantha Irby’s book launch event, so this will be brief. (We Are Never Meeting in Real Life came out last week and plunged right into the NYT paperback nonfiction best-sellers list, and I met the author so the title is a lie. Buy the book! If you are a delicate and squeamish individual, the book will appall you, but you should read it anyway. *gavel gavel*)
Likes: DASHCAM, DR. EVIL (but meh on a second and more obscure Austin Powers reference, SHAGUAR—zero recollection of it, and the last A.P. movie was 15 years ago), LUZON (birthplace of my in-laws), the apocryphal “ME TARZAN,” OXICLEAN, snail SLIME (I have a friend who assiduously photographs all the snails she meets in L.A.), and the great Congresswoman MAXINE Waters.
Unsure about the goodness of AWAY ON HOLIDAY (this is America! we go on vacation!) and the snarky but not all that common “No, YOUR OTHER LEFT.”
25d. [Some University of Virginia undergrads in 1969, for the first time], COEDS. Flatly historical usage, gives no hint of suggesting that the majority of today’s college students (who are women) are co- anything. Although I’d love to call guys at formerly all-women’s colleges COEDS.
Four stars.
John Lampkin’s Chronicle of Higher Education crossword, “Career Counselor Whizdom” — pannonica’s write-up
CHE • 6/9/17 • “Career Counselor Whizdom” • Lampkin • solution
Ongoing crisis, perfunctory write-up. Apologies.
Puns. Physicists/chemists.
- 17a. [Ernest Lawrence, you will achieve ___”] SMASHING SUCCESS. Cyclotron guy.
- 27a. [“Albert Einstein, you will find your way with ___”] RELATIVE CLARITY. Theories of Relativity (General, Special).
- 45a. [“Marie Curie, your work will earn you ___”] GLOWING TRIBUTES. Investigation of radioactive elements.
- 57a. [“Werner Heisenberg, you face an ___”] UNCERTAIN FUTURE. Uncertainty Principle theorist.
There was some nifty stuff in here, but I just can’t discuss or enumerate them now.
David Alfred Bywaters’ LA Times crossword – Gareth’s write-up
LA Times
170609
Today’s theme is fairly functional as “wacky” themes goes. G/IS/T and all G’s in the theme phrases become Ts. STAGPARTIES is now STATPARTIES, we have a PAPERBAT(G), a PERSIANRUG(G), a LONERANT(G)ER, a STRAYDOT(G) and a T(G)ALEWARNING. The puzzle is clearly shooting for quantity here.
An embarrassing and completely avoidable dupe of TOP/ONTOP occurs in the top-left. BESS/SOP requires one letter change. I also cringed at OGLES/GROPE as an intersection, but mostly the fill was clean, if necessarily functional…
Gareth
My recollection is that UVA first admitted women in 1970, my first year.
From Virginia Magazine,( in response to a 1969 discrimination lawsuit against UVA)–“The court mandated full coeducation within three years. The court also granted the plaintiffs a temporary injunction to study in the College of Arts & Sciences in the fall of 1969 rather than having to wait an additional year. Virginia Anne Scott enrolled that semester.”
So, apparently, there was at least one woman (coed) attending UVA in 1969.
Exactly what is Gareth referring to with the Top/On Top comment in the LAT puzzle?
7D is ONTOP, 20A is TOP, duplicating the word top in both
20a is TOP, 7d is ONTOP. TOP isn’t even clued as the spinning toy—it’s the exact same sort of TOP in two entries. That’s generally a no-no, duplicating answer words. (Exceptions are often made for little words like IN, TO, ON, I.)
And entirely unnecessary, as TRAP/TOP could be TRAM/TOM or TRAY/TOY.
Excellent puzzle yesterday, David.
I too think highly of Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who has held her seat for many years. I do not understand {It’ll give you a break} for enter key.
I don’t consider myself oversensitive to such issues, but I have never liked the word “coed” as a noun for a female student as if male students were the norm, and coeds were an afterthought. As an adjective, (e.g. a coed soccer team) it’s fine. I don’t speak fluent Australian, but I have always considered “Sheila” as a disparaging term for a young woman. But perhaps that’s not the case. I had one of those mental blocks where i couldn’t figure out who Drevil was in the movies. I didn’t make it to Dr. Evil until I read the review.
Enter key is also a Return key — which gives you a new line / break — at least that’s how I read it.
NYT = anyone care to guess just what the SHAGUAR portmanteau might be? Shelby? My OCD has kicked in and i need some relief! Mr Steve Overton?