Matt Jones’s Jonesin’ Crossword, “My Kind of Town” — with three examples in the circles. – Erin’s write-up
Jonesin’ solution 11/5/24
Hello lovelies! This week we have a simple theme involving words followed by “town.”
- 17a. [Keepsakes on VHS, perhaps] HOME VIDEOS
- 41a. [Head-over-heels comment] I’M CRAZY ABOUT YOU
- 69a. [TV ad subject mentioned with “And now a word from …”] OUR SPONSOR
Other things:
- 6d. [“UnREAL” star Appleby] SHIRI. This was a Lifetime drama about a reality television producer that ran from 2015-2018.
Until next week!
Adam Cohen’s Wall Street Journal crossword, “Name Game”—Jim’s review
Theme answers are made-up phrases consisting of a famous person and a rhyming game animal (or the meat thereof).
Wall St Journal crossword solution · “Name Game” · Adam Cohen · Tue., 11.5.24
- 20a. [Game for Emmy winner Cicely?] TYSON BISON.
- 38a. [Game for poet Alfred?] TENNYSON VENISON.
- 53a. [Game for comedian Lenny?] BRUCE GOOSE.
Hmm. This seems awfully light in the theme department. I think I’ve only seen a puzzle with three theme entries when each one was a grid-spanner (in the major puzzle venues, that is). And with a theme that’s fairly straightforward like this one, I would think a fourth or fifth could be found (GORE BOAR? RUFFALO BUFFALO?).
With only three theme answers, I would expect the fill to be amazing. STONE AGE, NEWLYWED, and SANDBAGS are great, but ENGAGE IN, IRONWARE, and STANDING are only meh. The short fill is mostly fine, but there are a lot of proper names in a grid whose theme consists of proper names. That NE corner alone has three names crossing a fourth (ERIC, SARA, and OWEN crossing AESOP).
Clue of note: 67a. [Convertible, for one]. SOFA. Do people refer to a sofa bed as a “convertible”? I have never heard this.
The theme is fine by me, but it’s on the light side, and a heavy dose of proper names on a Tuesday weighs against the puzzle. Three stars.
Evan Kalish’s NYT crossword 11/5/24 — Eric’s non-review
Evan Kalish’s NYT crossword 11/5/24
As you probably know, the New York Times Tech Guild went on strike Monday. The Guild, which represents over 600 software developers and other employees who operate the “back-end systems” behind all digital aspects at the Times, has asked that readers honor the Guild’s “digital picket line” by not accessing Times games.
Team Fiend has chosen to support the striking workers and will not review today’s puzzle.
Apologies to Evan Kalish. Your puzzle looks interesting and I’m looking forward to solving it when the strike is settled.
New York Times tech workers go on strike before election
Elizabeth C. Gorski’s Cr♥ssw♥rd Nation puzzle (Week 701), “The Big Three”—Ade’s take
Crossword Nation puzzle solution, Week 701: “The Big Three”
Hello there, everyone! Obviously, nerves are frayed and jangling right now given that Election Day is upon us. Here is hoping that we can help take just a little bit of that uneasiness off of you by our commentary on crossword puzzles today.
Of course, on all days, two of the three theme answers contain words that are colors associated with the two main political parties, so maybe your uneasiness went up even more! Either way, a third color starts another theme answer, and PRIMARY COLORS acts as the reveal (59A: [Best-selling political novel by Joe Klein … or the puzzle theme!]).
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- BLUE SAPPHIRES (15A: [Gemstones in “royal” or “cornflower” shades])
- YELLOW BRICK ROAD (26A: [What’s followed in “THe Wizard of Oz”])
- RED SKY AT MORNING (46A: [Sailor’s meteorological warning, in a saying])
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I’m sure enough of you on here remember the “Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! WISK! Wisk! Wisk!” jingle and promotion from the early 1990s, and that’s all I thought of after I filled in that entry (54D: Liquid detergent brand]). Initially put in “chortle” instead of CHUCKLE given that I got the first and final two letters first and the former was the first word that popped into my head (3D: [Laugh a little]). Gotta give some love to Garden City’s finest, ADELPHI University, not only because it’s not that far away from me, but also because we wouldn’t have the legendary rap group Public Enemy without the school given that both Chuck D and Flavor Flav went there (40D: [Long Island University]).
“Sports will make you smarter” moment of the day: SEEDING (18A: [Starting a garden, e.g.]) – With college and pro football in the back halves of their seasons, with the NBA starting up against two weeks ago and with Division I college basketball getting underway across the country on Monday night, it’s never too early to talk about teams playing for seeding, trying to gain the highest-ranking possible in the playoffs to, ostensibly, create the easiest pathway towards a championship. I guess, at this time, some pro teams are also playing for “seeding” in a sense, though there’s another word for wanting to lose a lot of games to secure a high position in the ensuing college draft: tanking.
Thank you so much for the time, everybody! Have a wonderful and safe rest of your day and, as always, keep solving!
Take care!
Ade/AOK
Michael Hobin’s Los Angeles Times crossword — Jenni’s write-up
I’m grateful that this crossword is entirely free of election content. I live in PA. Enough said. For once I figured out what the revealer was going to be, and it’s funny. A nice Tuesday solve.
Los Angeles Times, November 5, 2024, Michael Hobin, solution grid
- 19a [Venue where a fair trial is impossible] is a KANGAROO COURT. {delete fantasy about certain Supreme Court Justices in marsupial suits}
- 30a [Destinations for some bargain hunters] are FLEA MARKET
- 40a [Half-baked scheme] is HARE–BRAINED. The parts of speech seem off to me. Shouldn’t the clue be [Half-baked]?
- 50a [Fried egg-and-bread breakfast dish] is TOAD IN THE HOLE. And now I’m really nit-picking…looks odd to me without a hyphen after “fried.”
And the revealer: 64a [Breakfast chain known for flapjacks, or what the first part of 19-, 30-, 40-, or 50-Across might say?] is IHOP. Still makes me giggle.
What I didn’t know before I did this puzzle: that IAN Somerhalder directed “The Vampire Diaries.”
Wyna Liu’s New Yorker crossword — pannonica’s write-up
New Yorker • 11/5/24 • Tue • Liu • solution • 20241105
Today’s mocha (I’m going to make that word, dammit) offering lands pretty much where the New Yorker‘s Tuesdays have been for some time, which is to say that it’s easier than what I’d consider ‘moderately challenging’.
- 15a [Grains topped with fish] SUSHI, crossed by 4d [Spicy stewed legumes] CHILI BEANS. I understand the latter is offensive to some people (read: Texans).
- 16a [Something produced by a gallina) HUEVO. Huevo is egg, gallina is hen, gallo is rooster. (Spanish)
- 17a [Device that makes hard and soft copies] ALL-IN-ONE PRINTER. What is a soft copy in this context? A scanned document?
- 19a [Returns to office?] REELECTS. Not today, New Yorker, not today.
- 25a [Pre-vacation salon offering that doesn’t actually provide significant sun protection] BASE TAN. Do people believe that such a thing does? There aren’t shortcuts here.
- 41a [Blasts] ASSAILS. 45a [“Blast!”] DANG.
- 54a [Start of an announcement] ATTENTION PLEASE.
- 59a [Aid in diagnosing a Wi-Fi problem] SPEED TEST. I feel as if one is more commonly performed on ISPs (internet service providers), no? 55d [Identifiers of devices on a network, for short] IPS. An IP address is an internet protocol address.
- 5d [Counterpart of potential, in physics] KINETIC.
- 10d [Growing novelty] CHIA PET. This would’ve been tougher had I not already a filled in some crossing entries.
- 28d [Feedback] NOTES, not NOISE.
- 40d [Like the exteriors of some old station wagons] PANELED. It’s an aesthetic that continued long after it was functional. Skeuomorphism!
- 50d [Word before deck or emoji] POOP. Okay, that gave me to chuckle.
Jared Cappel’s Universal Crossword, “Chess With Friends” (ed. Taylor Johnson) — Matt F’s Review
Universal Solution 11.05.2024
You may have spotted the mates in today’s puzzle, but there is one more layer to unpack here. Each themer contains a mate split into 2 pieces, which is explained by the revealer:
- 64A – [Declaration of an imminent chess victory … and a hint to this puzzle’s theme] = MATE IN TWO
Now, I have enjoyed a few games of chess over the years, but I have never heard a player so confidently brag that they will have me pinned in two moves. Like they are claiming an imminent victory, a trap I cannot escape, a one-way-forward situation. Is this really a common occurrence in the game? I know there are several digital games called Mate in Two, where the objective is to mate the opponent in just two moves from a predetermined position. And I suppose an experienced player might see these opportunities crop up during real-life gameplay… but do they shout, “Mate in two! You can’t defeat me now! Mwahaha!” …Someone in the chess world tell me if they’ve heard this phrase spoken IRL.
The theme answers deliver on the promise – a “mate” (partner, chum, bud) is separated in two parts to bookend each theme phrase:
- 17A – [One with “a piece of the pie,” perhaps] = PART OWNER
- 28A – [“Fly Me to the Moon” star] = CHANNING TATUM
- 48A – [Unexpected snag] = BUMP IN THE ROAD
The puzzle was nicely constructed with a smattering of longish answers to keep things fun outside the theme, like PAPER MARIO, ACROBATICS, HEADACHE, and SHOW TUNE, to name a few. The center area has a cluster of names – ELENA, GLENN, NICK, KERRI – but was edited carefully to make sure it didn’t feel too name-heavy (cluing NICK as a noun, for example). Don’t be fooled by the clue at 13A! You might have put in LYFT for the clue [Uber alternative?], but that sneaky “?” indicates we are dealing with some wordplay, so the answer is actually MEGA, a prefix with a similar meaning to UBER.
NYT: So much fun! Loved it.
Haven’t given a 5 for a while until, tonight.
Solved last night in AcrossLite, so I couldn’t see the “rolls.” Solving time was in line with a typical Tuesday, and I thought the puzzle was fine.
Now that I see where the rolls are, I’m impressed! Quite a feat of construction, I would guess. And had I been able to see the rolls as I solved, I think it would have been a very entertaining theme.
NYT: very clever idea and construct!
I did all the puzzles unaware of any strike until coming here.
I’d been wondering at the call to boycott the NYT games and puzzles, given that the news is itself online and so many readers (like me on weekdays) get it that way (and of course have already paid for it). Was it a sense that a focus on games would have maximum impact, now that, I’ve read, subscriptions to the games site now exceed those for the news and features? That people would be hard to convince to tune out the election? That doing so would not be in the interest of workers everywhere?
From the Guardian, looks like the answer is more mundane. The techies aren’t in charge of putting the news online, only such Web-like things as interactive games, blogs, a cooking column, and so on. Anyway, I hope they get their demands.
I did the puzzles before I knew of the strike.
NYT came here to say that Aretha Franklin never recorded for any of the “Motown” labels or sublabels. By a stretch, she lived in Detroit (sometimes referred to as Motown) so she could be considered “Franklin of Motown”, but not in the usual sense of the term. They were all friends, but she recorded for Columbia and Atlantic labels.
And I’m embarrassed to admit that I don’t get the theme… even after going and filling it out in the app. I’m sure I’ll appreciate it more if someone will explain it.
ok, nevermind, I read it at Wordplay site. Nice construction!
TNY: I didn’t understand the ‘hard or soft copy’ clue either, but the google tells me that a soft copy is an electronic version of a document. Seems like an unnecessary descriptor, seeing that we already refer to digital copies. But maybe there’s some subtle distinction I am not aware of.
My all-in-one has the option to print to my printer or save as PDF, when I go to “print” on a website. I took it to mean that, with no downloading or scanning involved. Easier to say than “hard or digitized”, maybe?
Hardest Tuesday ever for me, since I did it without the rolls graphic. When I finally saw the rolls it was a huge DOH moment as I was in my kitchen, with a clear view of the Apple “flying saucer” headquarters in Cupertino.
The “theme” was irrelevant to the solve.
NYT: I too thought this was a yawner until I happened to preview a printed version…Wow!
Normally there’s a note indicating that certain features are not amenable to the .puz format. That certainly would have been appropriate here, although solving via program (I use Nexus) is far more pleasant than writing on a printed page.
There hasn’t been a .puz version for a long time, so where would such a note go? If you use a third-party screen scraper to create a .puz, you can’t expect it to warn you.
AcrossLite routinely provides a note when there are features in the puzzle that are not supported in the PUZ format (as it did today).
FWIW, I use Crossword Scraper to create .puz files of NYT puzzles and I was able to see today’s note in the one it generated.
Mea culpa! The note was, indeed, present and I simply had missed it.
Martin, I guess I have to respectfully disagree with your assertion.
Where is the note? What site are you using? The Times doesn’t publish .puz so I’m confused.
Are we talking about Crossword Scraper? I don’t use it, so I’m pretty ignorant about it.
Correct. I use Crossword Scraper and then open the resultant .puz file in Nexus Solver. Apparently, from the other comments, the more common AcrossLite similarly offers the Note.
As I’m not privy to the algorithm used to successfully scrape a puzzle, I can only offer my observation.
Apple: Already, it seems there are more venues than are consistently “reviewed” here, day to day. (So adding in more – might be INSANE.)
But, that said, any thoughts or comments (NOT SPECIFIC TO TODAY – I haven’t done those puzzles this week! I’m too stressed out! Just asking…) on the Apple crossword venue?
— Is this [NYT strike relevant] the week to consider discussing those?
NYT: Yeah, if I were on the constructor side, I’d be both sympathetic – and frustrated… (!!)
Hi Katie, if anything were to be frustrating about the situation it’s that constructors and solvers looking to examine or reference the puzzle for whatever reason will have significantly reduced opportunity to search/seek it out, especially as the predominant alternative to this blog is doing the same thing (declining to even tag today’s post with my name). Given that the puzzle is fairly unique I think there would be an above-average demand for that sort of thing in the future.
Now, if this site functions as an archive then it should document all relevant puzzles, so I hope someone goes back and completes the job once the strike is resolved. But that’s my take as someone who manages an archive of sorts of my own, and that’s not necessarily the point of this blog. As a union supporter and son of [teachers’] union beneficiaries I can’t be upset about the situation, and at least it’s recorded on XWord Info.
Thanks,
Evan
I’m certainly not a constructor, and I’m sure I don’t fully appreciate the challenges of constructing a grid, but this grid struck me as being exceptionally challenging to construct. As far as I’m concerned, you handled the challenges well, with minimal awkwardness, and I appreciate that. I’m bummed that you got caught up in this conflict (which obviously had nothing to do with you) when, on the merits, your puzzle was, in my opinion, extraordinarily well-crafted. Congratulations and commiserations.