Rich Proulx’s New York Times crossword—Jim P’s review
Jim P. here sitting in for Amy. It’s been a long time since I blogged a NYT puzzle, so bear with me (see what I did there?).
NY Times crossword solution, 7 17 20, no. 0717
Right off the bat you should’ve noticed that happy-looking face. That immediately put me in a good mood because it looks like a friendly teddy bear. Winnie the Pooh, maybe? What do you see?
However, I wanted a little more in the grid that related to the face. The closest I see is CHARACTER SKETCH [Literary profile] at 13a, but that’s about it. ART TEACHER (with the nice clue [One who might grade on the curve?]) might be related since the grid seems like one of those art tests we used to see in old magazines and newspapers. But still, I wanted something more specific.
But it was never to come. I had to be satisfied with the heavily interconnected and stacked long fill which, as it turns out, is quite good. In addition to the aforementioned, we have STATE LEGISLATOR, AUTO PARTS STORES, NEAR DISASTERS (which was hard to parse), INTIMATE APPAREL, SOLO PERFORMER, and REPUTATIONS. Also, TILT MECHANISM which is a phrase I had to infer, and STARLITERS which maybe I heard once or twice in my life but certainly didn’t remember.
I had no clue on AEOLUS [Greek god of the winds]. If you didn’t know the crossing GESSO, you might’ve gotten stuck on the E. But most everything else is fair.
There are few modern references in the grid aside from DAMON Wayons, APU, and Wookiees. In contrast, there’s GERITOL, actor LEE Majors, STARLITERS, SHANE, and Leroy Brown skewing things to the older crowd.
Clues of note:
- 17a. [Links things?]. CARTS. Who else put CLUBS first?
- 43a. [Woman’s name in English that’s a man’s name in Catalan]. JOAN. I’m wondering about the pronunciation, because I’m certain they’re not the same.
- 27d. [Member of the South Asian diaspora]. DESI. Didn’t know this one either. Per Wikipedia, “Desi are the people, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and their diaspora… it is accepted that the desi trace their origin specifically to the Indian subcontinent, the countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal.” I’m glad to learn this usage of this name.
I was won over from the start with the grid design, and the fill, while not terribly sparkly or modern, is executed cleanly and impressively given the grid’s openness. Four stars from me.
Robyn Weintraub’s New Yorker crossword – Rachel’s writeup
Oh, this was a fun one. I loved all of it– the long stuff sparkles, the short stuff is clean, and the clues! are fantastic! Thank you for this gorgeous lightly challenging puzz to ease us into the weekend.
The New Yorker crossword solution • Robyn Weintraub • Friday, July 17, 2020
Long stuff: Most of the long entries are vertically aligned, which I love to see. It makes me move through the grid in a different way than I normally would (although not to the extent that diagonal-symmetry grids do, which I’ve recently learned and am excited to continue solving!). The longest entries are THE JURY IS OUT and MUNCHKINLAND, both of which are A+. Other longish entries include: LOCKS HORNS / DANCE CLASS / BLACK HOLES / NEAT AS A PIN / FRAT PARTY / ALONE TIME / ONE BEDROOM / FREE SAMPLE. I’m not sure I’m 100% on board with [Wrangles] as the clue for LOCKS HORNS — I think of wrangling as what a cowboy or cat-herder does, while locking horns is what the cows (or metaphorical figheters) do? Also, I am personally full up on ALONE TIME, and RIP grocery store FREE SAMPLES, yet another casualty of COVID-19, and
A few more things:
- SCHLUMP is such a fun word
- Ok the clue on ARIEL [Non-human Disney protagonist] really sent me on a spiral about the ontology of mermaids. I concede that she is non-human at the beginning of the film. But at the end? Does she become human? Or is she a mermaid with legs? This is going to keep me up at night.
- Favorite clues:
- [Beam at?] – LASE
- [Purchase made while window shopping?] – PANE
- [They’re really big and they totally suck] – BLACK HOLES
- Somehow I managed to live 30 years on this earth without learning what a pangolin is, and now I know, and I am forever grateful to Robyn Weintraub for bringing this creature into my life.
this is a pangolin
- Representation:
- There were places in this puzzle where it was clear that a choice had been made to include more feminine entries (e.g., cluing TOAD as a momma toad instead of Mr. TOAD, giving us Tyne *and* Tim DALY). I think overall it still read “neutral,” but there were no entries that gave me pause like, say, Tonto did on Weds)
- No names I didn’t know/fill I could live without today!
Overall, all the stars from me for an interesting and solidly-constructed puzz! Happy weekend, team.
Enrique Henestroza Anguiano’s Universal crossword, “Swirling the Glass”—Jim P’s review
Now this is a theme I can get behind! WINE BLENDS is the revealer at 59a and is clued [Mixed drinks? … or a hint to each circled set of scrambled letters]. The other themers contain scrambled grape varietals.
Universal crossword solution · “Swirling the Glass” · Enrique Henestroza Anguiano · Fri., 7.17.20
- 17a. [College rejection notice, often] FORM LETTER. Merlot.
- 28a. [Traditionally yellow flower] CHRYSANTHEMUM. Syrah.
- 46a. [Groups of actors in the “Avengers” movies, e.g.] ENSEMBLE CASTS. Malbec.
Three reds. It would have been nice if a fourth themer was added to provide a balance of whites and reds, but I’ll take this.
Despite our (my wife’s and my) enjoyment of all three of these wines, these were hard to unscramble, especially the last one. In fact, I didn’t even try to do it during the solve, but returned to them afterwards, and even then it took some doing. And so, if you don’t know your wines—and even if you do—the theme might be of little help during the solve.
But that’s okay because the crossings are all fair and the cluing is straightforward enough. And the fill is plenty fun, too. I like OPEN-EYED, GAG REEL, LEGO SET, MOONSTONES, SNACK BAR, PARADES, PAGODA, BEANIE, and even HERBACEOUS (maybe because it sounds snooty and pairs well with the snooty wine theme).
Clues of note:
- 41a. [Birthday helper?]. DOULA. Nice clue.
- 42d. [A ton of bricks, perhaps?]. LEGO SET. Ha! Another good clue. It do be like that sometimes. And yet, the completed set is always smaller than expected.
- 53d. [Gear that can prevent sliding]. PARK. “Sliding?” How about “rolling”?
- 61d. [FDR’s fair practices org.]. NRA. I resisted the N because the NRA that we know today doesn’t fit that description. But the clue is referring to the National Recovery Administration which was created to reduce “destructive competition” in business and set fair practices. It was later struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional, but not before empowering unions and workers. Anyway, I appreciate that the clue is trying to go a different route than the norm, but the NRA is the NRA, love it or hate it. Trying to avoid it feels forced and unnecessarily tricky.
This was a fun puzzle even though the theme is rather opaque and not necessarily all that helpful during the solve. But the fill is top notch. Four stars.
Kristy McGowan’s Inkubator crossword, “Letters for Gloria and Dorothy”—Rebecca’s review
The letters MS are found in each themed answer – the title referring to Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pitman Hughes, founders of Ms. Magazine.
Inkubator, July 16, 2020, Kristy McGowan, “Letters for Gloria and Dorothy,” solution grid
- 21a [Woman-inclusive end of the world?] is DOOMSDAY.
- 23a [Woman-inclusive university in South Carolina?] is CLEMSON
- 42a [Woman-inclusive woman?] is DAMSEL
- 59a [Woman-inclusive detective?] is GUMSHOE
- 62a [Woman-inclusive Viola Smith feature?] is DRUM SOLO
- 4d [Woman-inclusive wheel-runner?] is HAMSTER.
- 11d [Woman-inclusive beachwear?] is SWIMSUIT
- 41d [Woman-inclusive origin of Eve?] is ADAM’S RIB
- 48d [Woman-inclusive shade of red?] is CRIMSON
Once I caught onto the theme, it gave me a smile – but it took longer than I should admit for me to get to figure it out. I was also impressed that the MS in each answer is either right in the center – or in the case of the odd-numbered words, as close as possible, with the matching word having the opposite layout. My favorite answers of the bunch were DOOMSDAY and ADAM’S RIB – the latter because it makes me think of the Katherine Hepburn movie – not so much because of the biblical reference.
Interesting grid shape, with some extra room at 16×15 making for a smooth solve. I struggled more in the north east than any other part of the puzzle – but no unfair crossings to be found. Bonus long downs of SWEET TOOTH and LABOR PAINS were fun to come across, though I was expecting them to be themed because of their length.
Overall a thoroughly enjoyable puzzle!
Nancy Stark and Will Nediger’s Los Angeles Times crossword — pannonica’s write-up
LAT • 7/17/20 • Fri • Stark, Nediger • solution • lat20200717
Super-solid theme and execution here.
- 65aR [Oscar-nominated film whose title hints at the wordplay in three other long answers] IMITATION OF LIFE. (Remade by Douglas Sirk in 1959.)
- 17a. [Minty green cocktail?] ASTROTURFHOPPER (from grasshopper).
- 27a. [Easier to swallow?] ASPARTAME-COATED (not sugar-coated).
- 49a. [Puritan teacher involved in the Salem Witch Trials?] POLYESTER MATHER (né Cotton Mather)
Why is the theme so good? (1) the wordplay is consistent, with the ersatz items widely accepted as directly correlated to the originals, (2) the phrases and names are solidly in-the-language, (3) the resultant entrees are all 15-letter grid spanners. Really impressive stuff!
No real junk among the ballast fill, either. Always a plus.
- 18d [Word after bowl or blow] OVER. Nice subtle touch, taking a blah entry and common clue type but doing something extra with it: bowl and blow are anagrams of each other, differing only in the location of the letter l.
- Also good when two example words in a clue themselves form a (potentially misleading) phrase: 53a [Bobs and weaves] DOS.
- 31d [Demi of “Ghost”] MOORE. Is a faithful re-recording of a song (due to, say, licensing issues) by the same artist an imitation?
- 69a [Yankee Candle emanation] AROMA. Or ODOR, your choice.
- 72a [Frisky swimmer] OTTER. This erstwhile mammalogist is so ready for new OTTER clues, up to and including arcane ones.
- 10d [Sleeveless garment] CAPE. I feel that this was calculated to get solvers to fill in VEST.
The African clawless otter, aka Cape clawless otter, Aonyx capensis
- 25a [ __ King Cole] NAT. Today I looked up his full name and can report that it’s Nathaniel Adams Coles.
So here’s an unironic 1975 cover of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” by the Dynamic Superiors. While it may be more dynamic than the original, I feel it’s inferior.
NYT:
There seemed to be a contrast between the happy bear foreshadowing some fun and these main players which range from dull to stressful:
STATE LEGISLATOR, AUTO PARTS STORES, NEAR DISASTERS,
Even the game playing ended with a thud: TILT MECHANISM
And the potentially fun clue led to the prim: INTIMATE APPAREL. GERITOL did not help the situation.
I admire the construction, but the puzzle set up what neuroscientists call a “prediction error”.
Prediction error! I love that.
When 1-Across and one of its neighboring entries are both crap, I fully expect the rest of the puzzle to disappoint me. When it doesn’t disappoint, that’s a good prediction error, yes?
NYT was pretty straightforward and all my unknowns crossed, so easy Friday.
Below, hopefully interesting to some
Nit (But esoteric): Links as a golf term, especially in the USA and among non-golfers is grossly misused. Links are a very specific kind of land on which golf is thought to have originated (If it didn’t come from the Dutch Kolven, played on ice). But it is inexorably tied to the games origins and exists exactly nowhere in USA and arguably N.A. as well. Links are very treasured ecosystems which naturally occur and need little to no effort for basic maintenance, as opposed to the typical warm-weather golf courses. Linkslands are a marvel of nature, and one never uses CARTS (In the motorized edition) on them without a Doctor’s certificate.
So that answer was hard for me to write-in, even though I suspected that was the correct fill.
Cheers,
I don’t disagree with your definition. Don’t the courses at Bandon Dunes in Oregon qualify though?
I played at a magnificent course in Western New York called Crag Burn. We described (incorrectly but in common parlance) the front nine as an American course with tree-lined fairways and water and the back nine as a “links” course with high grass defining the fairways. The Buffalo area is very windy and Crag Burn once hosted a sectional tournament where the winning score for 4 rounds was around 305.
I agree with Huda’s analysis of today’s puzzle.
Steve
Certainly in common use Links means golf playing grounds.
@Stephen
Bandon plays very Links-like but is technically called raised beach. There is a wonderful academic book by Robert Price, Scotland’s Golf Courses. He’s Welsh and has a PhD in geography and geology from University of Edinburgh. I was told of his work by two very prominent Golf Architects, my copy came from a friend of mine who lives in Fife. It’s a fine read if you like that sort of thing, I would have liked to sit for lectures by him. There are currently books available on Amazon that consider Bandon and other US courses ‘links’ but they are not in the technical sense. In my personal experience, I’d say the experience in the US most like a real honest geological links is Sankaty Head on Nantucket. Private, it is available to play for non-members after Labor Day.
@R, I did try to qualify it as very esoteric. For marketing purposes many places in USA use ‘Links’ most notably ‘Pebble Beach Golf Links’; a friend of mine is in the C-suite there and we’ve had a chat about all this esoterica and he fully agrees, but no one is going to stop using the word. I only said grossly mis-used because it never applies, yes that’s really a nit. I also don’t mind being called out for hyperbole.
I don’t expect it not to be used, it’s clearly not offensive.
I’m glad the information was of interest to some. I enjoy learning, so I try to share.
Cheers,
RHUD has, for “links,” simply “cf. golf courses, and MW11C seems to permit it, too, as does my limited common knowledge. So I have trouble worrying about a fan’s restricting them based on a little-known history.
I didn’t recognize STARLITERS although now I’m curious, and I found it a tad harder than average for a Friday, with some unusual entries (like that or TILT MECHANISM and DESI). I, too, smiled right off on seeing a face and then, when I was done, wondering what I missed. I don’t object at all to horizontal rather than the usual symmetry, but it sure looked like it was going to be themed. I guess I should just remember that I smiled and that’s not a bad thing.
If a word is being “grossly misused” because it used to mean something different from what it means now, then every word is being grossly misused every time it’s being used. Interesting story, though.
My solving experience today can be described as “the whole is less than the sum of its parts.” What I mean is the long answers are mostly fine phrases by themselves, but pretty much every one of them is so chock-full of RSTLNE hexad that my overall enjoyment of the puzzle was markedly reduced. The rest of the puzzle also skewed bland (TALONS, ENSURES, LATENTS, etc.) and, like Jim, I was let down by the lack of an obvious connection to the happy face of black squares (see March 16, 2000, puzzle). As much as I liked Rich’s previous effort from February, this one felt underwhelming.
I enjoyed the NYT, but it felt easy for a Friday.
I read somewhere that July 17 is World Emoji Day – maybe it’s a tribute puzzle.
Good work Gary R. I think that is the probably the idea of the grid.
Funny how we have complainers that there was no ‘tie in’ between the grid construction and the clues/answers. Aren’t these the same people who bitch endlessly about their sanctity of the themeless Friday and Saturday puzzles? And if there is one whiff of a theme, the blog breaks loose???
NYT–I was surprised to learn that Joe Pesci and Jimi Hendrix were former Starliters.
Inkubator — thanks for the write-up, Rebecca, totally would have missed the theme otherwise. Even though I recently watched Mrs. America on Hulu (definitely recommend, btw) and so should have made the obvious Gloria Steinem = Ms. connection.
NYT: “modern references in the grid aside from DAMON Wayons, APU, and Wookiees” Oof, these three really hit their peak relevance in the 80s and 90s if you call that modern. It seems that the secret theme was in the middle all along: GERITOL.
Nice bit on ‘World Emoji Day’, that must be it.
Rachel – in reference to Ariel –
This Disney movie was the old trope “snow white gets kissed by the prince & comes alive.” I was hoping Eric would’ve sprouted a merman tail & joined her in her world kinda like del Toro’s take in The Shape of Water. The heroine in that movie gladly joined her mate without the need to gain the sense of hearing. Yes I know, Eric didn’t have gills on his neck…