Jake Bunch’s New York Times crossword—Amy’s recap
NY Times crossword solution, 9/27/24 – no. 0927
Either I’m tired or Joel has calibrated this Friday puzzle right into “tough Saturday turf.” Is it me or is it the puzzle?
There’s something cute about grids with single blocks in the corners. A quilty, woodworkingish vibe. Aesthetically pleasing to me.
New to me: 1a. [Tough loss for a poker player], BAD BEAT. Feels grammatically off base, but that’s poker lingo for you.
Fave fill: ON AUTOPILOT, UNTESTED, WINS GOLD and VICTORY LAPS (was that a new thing at the Paris Olympics, that a track-and-field athlete would go ring a bell after winning gold?), CUPCAKES (I have a snickerdoodle cupcake in my fridge right now), CREAMERY (Wisconsin cheese for the win), SEA LEGS, IRON CHEF, BASMATI RICE, MOSQUITO NET (anyone else fill in MOTHBALLING here first?), ZILLIONAIRE, LYRICAL writing, TO DIE FOR (in the movie by that name, I tell you Nicole Kidman was doing her best impression of Meg Ryan), and “YOUR CALL.”
Not loving the YOUR CALL overlap with “ARE YOU IN?” or those IN-STATE and BONE-IN overlaps. Also not a fan of entries like SEISM and ALE KEG, terms that may be out there but that hardly any of us would actually use. Here’s an explainer on the differences between kegs and casks; cask ale is a thing.
3.5 stars from me.
Zachary David Levy’s Los Angeles Times crossword — pannonica’s write-up
LAT • 9/27/24 • Fri • Levy • solution • 20240924
- 17a. [Bloodhound, y’know?] THAT TRACKS. “That”?
- 26a. [Sandbox, y’know?] I CAN DIG IT.
- 37a. [Tuning fork, y’know] SOUNDS RIGHT.
- 5oa. [Calculator, y’know?] IT FIGURES.
- 60a. [Neuron, y’know?] MAKES SENSE.
Capisce?
Cute little theme.
- 3d [Upper crust] GRATIN. Was not expecting something so literal and tangible.
- 9d [Noted name in Italian sculpture] PISANO. I daresay his name is not common knowledge. I studied a bunch of art history and it still took me a few crossings and time to recall this.
- 10d [Question before taking a risk] DARE I? And afterwards? I DARED.
- 12d [Have some humble pie] EAT DIRT. What’s the consensus on EAT DIRT versus EAT CROW?
- 13d [Day breaks?] SIESTAS. Succinct, nice.
- 28d [Burning up] AFIRE. 21a [Burning up, maybe] ILL.
- 47d [Sheep] OVINES. I’m ok with this plural, but wonder if others are.
- 20a [GPS fig.] LATitude. Usually a clue like this leads to ETA.
- 32a [“Arrival” vehicles] UFOS.
- 40a [Knowing expressions?] AHAS. The clue could be the crossword’s title.
- 42a [Frankfurter] WIENIE. Site of my only mis-fill, where I first tried WIENER.
- 46a [Dance party flasher] STROBE.
- 53a [Not decent] EVIL. Hmm. I guess the clue was a misdirect for something like NUDE?
- 69a [Plus-ones] GUESTS. Not really a fan of the term. Why has it (partially) supplanted guest anyway? Kinda stilted.
Matthew Luter’s Universal crossword, “Fall Themeless Week, Puzzle 5”—Jim’s review
Ooh! I didn’t know this was a themeless until after I finished the solve. It was only then that I looked at the title. Doh! I was duped by BANANAGRAMS and LA LA LAND into thinking they were thematic.
Universal crossword solution · “Fall Themeless Week, Puzzle 5” · Matthew Luter · Fri., 9.27.24
But this was a fun solve with plenty of meaty entries like EDGAR AWARD, “TOO LATE NOW!,” POWER SURGE, PANAMA CITY, ANIMANIACS, DREAM CAR, MAID MARIAN, JUMBO SHRIMP, “O HOLY NIGHT,” and “STACY’S MOM“. Do people actually use the phrase STREET MEAT to refer to edible meat from food trucks (i.e. not roadkill)? Sounds dubious.
Clues of note:
- 29a. [Campus military org.]. ROTC. Missed opportunity to echo “cadet” which was used in the previous clue [Space cadet’s “home”].
- 51a. [Brand that partnered with Swedish Fish in 2016]. OREO. Eww. I don’t think I want to know what was the result of that unholy marriage.
- 55a. [Christmas song in which “the weary world rejoices”]. O HOLY NIGHT. Probably the most beautiful Christmas song for my money. Do you have a favorite rendition? I’ll go with Charlotte Church. (Skip to the 4 minute mark for the high note.)
4.25 stars.
NYT: Amy, thank you for pointing out the grid. I agree that the predominance of single squares and their placement is very pleasing to the eye.
I’m one of those who doesn’t like the repetition in YOUR CALL and ARE YOU IN, especially because ARE YOU IN sounds like something you might say to someone who is wavering about a decision, and YOUR CALL sounds like something else you might say to the same person. But apparently both Joel Fagliano and Will Shortz don’t have an issue with that kind of repetition, and I would say to them, “It’s YOUR CALL.” They’re the editors, and I’m not, and they can make whatever decision they want to make.
Speaking of Joel and Will, I just realized that Joel has been official interim editor for over six months now. His name started appearing at the top of the puzzle on March 14.
NYT notes to Amy:
As a poker player, I can easily say I have been victim of a bad beat. (Also as a music listener, but that’s another story.) It’s a reference to having a hand that would usually be a winner, but being beaten.
The bell was unique to the Paris Olympics and will be placed at Cathedral Notre Dame.
I hope Will is doing OK but have not seen anything in NYT or Wordplay about him recently.
I would like to hear more about Shortz’ long recovery period. Do you have a source for this, Amy? If so, perhaps you could include a notice in your write-ups. It would be good of the NYT to post notices. I’m sure I’m not alone in this.
The NY Times print edition continues to feature puzzles created by Will Shortz a couple of times a week (in the Arts section). He also returned several months ago as the host of the Sunday Puzzle segment on NPR’s Weekend Edition.
NYT: BAD BEAT is very common among the poker crowd (everyone has a story!) and is comparable to ‘All In’ these days.
I’m not a timer, but I breezed through this puzzle, maybe because 1A was a gimme?!?
I wasn’t thrilled with the clue for MOSQUITONET. “Debugging soft wear?” I get the pun, and it would be a good one, except a net is not worn, so it’s not “wear.” Maybe a mosquito net is “worn” if it’s one of those attached to a safari hat? It’s just too much of a stretch for me.
As someone who spends a lot of time out in the woods in the upper Midwest, and who owns MANY of these garments, I can verify that no one calls them mosquito nets (which cover beds to prevent malaria) — they are head nets. (I got MOSQUITOxxx right off, but then had to get NET from the crosses).
Thank you!
I agree that calling a MOSQUITONET something you wear is a real stretch.
I found the NYT harder than usual for a Friday. Having a completely unknown and odd-sounding phrase at 1A didn’t help, and some of the cluing, for GULL, MOSQUITONET, and DICER, for example, was a little tortured.
Ditto. I was just completely out of sync with the cluing voice today, have never heard BAD BEAT, and found so many of the clues and answers to be unlikely at best. Not a fan.
Overall, I would say today’s NYT was an example of trying too hard to be clever. I was shaking my head throughout the solve. muttering to myself, “Yeah, I get it, but…”
Like Mutman, I breezed through the puzzle. It lacked the usual Friday difficulty.
LAT: 60a. [Neuron, y’know?] MAKES SENSE…
uh, no… that one makes no sense to me. HELP???
Enjoyable puzzle until I hit that one that I can’t figure out the meaning of.
I think it has to do with how the body channels sensory information to the brain using neurons.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_neuron
Thx PJ! Now THAT makes sense 😀
NYT: Definitely harder than typical Fridays (though typical Fridays have recently all been harder). A big pleasure to solve with lots of tricky clues and interesting entries.
My almost-Waterloo was MOSQUITO NET, whose clue “Debugging soft wear” was impenetrable until I had almost all the letters. Never heard of QDOBA or a BAD BEAT, but happy to learn.
I definitely appreciated the paucity of pop culture trivia in this puzzle.
One thing I would love to see more of in NYT crosswords is interesting and unusual words — not obscurities, but words that are closer to the fringe of people’s vocabularies.
NYT: I had never heard of a BAD BEAT (I haven’t played poker in 50 years and can barely remember the ranking of the hands). It wasn’t until IGLOO that I started filling in the grid, but then I zoomed through it (despite thinking first of DALÍ rather than MIRÓ).
TO DIE FOR reminds me of the Gus Van Sant movie with Nicole Kidman and Matt Dillon. I remember really liking that 30 years ago. I could see it again; it’s got a great cast.
According to Google maps, all the QDOBA restaurants in Austin (where I used to live) are “permanently closed.” But I got it with only a letter or two.
My biggest slowdown was misspelling ZILLIONAIRE. It didn’t fit the first time I tried it.
One of life’s mysteries is Mexican people having lunch at Taco Bell, with a real taqueria a few storefronts away. Qdoba in Austin is similar.
If the diners are from different states, the taqueria might be serving a style of taco that doesn’t scream “home” to them. If the restaurant’s Michoacano but the diner is Oaxacan, say. Also, you can’t get a Crunchwrap Supreme with Cheez-its at the taqueria and maybe it’s delicious in its own right.
So I’ve heard. I’ve been to Taco Bell to observe this mystery because Elaine is addicted to Crunchwrap Supremes, and if she can be dragged to Arby’s to feed my addiction to their “meat” it’s only fair that I accompany her to this den of Velveeta masquerading as Mexican food. But Velveeta because the local taqueria doesn’t serve tlayudas?
May I share a Taco Bell story for no reason particularly relevant to the puzzle?
It was quite a few years ago. I was 53 years old. While I’m not a frequent Taco Bell customer, I decided to have lunch at a Taco Bell near my office.
I ordered six tacos. The teenage clerk took the order, and handed me a cup.
Why are you giving me a cup? I didn’t order a drink.
Oh, didn’t you know?! We’ve having a promotion and all you old people get a free drink!
I handed him back the cup.
I found the clever stuff in the NYT rather clever and admired the puzzle. Even the repetition of YOU didn’t bother me, since it was just one word in distinct larger phrases. Actually, neither did the clue for “met” as wearable. The objection felt a bit technical to me, and I could even imagine what does count as wearing, a veil’s worth of netting coming down from a hat brim to cover the face with the rest of the body clothed.
Nope, I didn’t know the poker term, and it slowed me down, but it was coming to the right half that really delayed me. My last to fall was GULL.
I know a BAD BEAT from sports gambling. Where my bet looks very safe then a very late flukish play like a scoop and score or a pick six flips the point spread winner or makes the under an over. ESPN has a regular segment on bad beats
https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/41409975
@Jim re: the christmas song in Universal – for my money as well! we had that charlotte church CD growing up, love it. my current favorite rendition is tori kelly’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYfk-qHUJOo
USAT: This was a fun NATO phonetic alphabet puzzle, even though I didn’t know SIERRA Katow or MIKE White. But I did know VICTOR Hugo and INDIA Arie.