NYT 5:05 (Amy)
Newsday 17:36 (Derek)
LAT 17:10 (Derek)
CS 6:26 (Ade)
Sam Ezersky’s New York Times crossword
NY Times crossword solution, 7 4 15, no 0704
I liked Sam’s puzzle but I found it to be a bit too easy for a Saturday puzzle. Am I just wavelengthing because I like the sort of long fill Sam gravitates toward? That JEDI MIND TRICK! Love it. BABAGHANOUJ, TYSON GAY, GLOW-IN-THE-DARK, Nils LOFGREN, RECORD CROWD, KLONDIKE BAR, HOLLA, MIAMI INK, NICKI Minaj, … and BARF. “AM I RIGHT or am I right?” (Or, alternatively, AMIRITE?) I love a good SPELLING BEE and that didn’t even make my top 10 because there was so much other great stuff.
Did not know: 41a. [Where “giraffes are insincere,” in a Simon & Garfunkel hit], AT THE ZOO. Also never heard of 7d. Actress Cadranel of TV’s “Lost Girl”], INGA. A Canadian show that ran on the woefully named Syfy channel?
Lesser fill: EXO-, MISDID, MOR, NIRO without its De, ADMAN. Outnumbered by the good fill.
Five more things:
- 18a. [___ shoe], GYM. This is the predominant term in Chicagoland for sneakers. Did any of you try GUM shoe?
- 23a. [Job holder?], BIBLE. Contains the Book of Job.
- 23d. [Get within range?], BAKE. Eh, too stretchy. Clue phrase isn’t synonymous with “put in the oven” since it lacks an article.
- 45d. [They often come down to the wire], BIRDS. Remember that Pixar short?
- 46d. [Either of two married supersleuths of 1970s-’80s TV], HART. Of Hart to Hart. We would also have accepted [“Sunglasses at Night” singer Corey].
4.25 stars from me. Lots of fun, Sam!
Lester Ruff’s Newsday crossword, “Saturday Stumper” – Derek’s write-up
Newsday July 4, 2014 – Saturday Stumper
Still feel improvement coming on! Under 18 minutes! And a great puzzle to boot! Had Friday off, on vacation until 7/13; maybe the brain was nice and relaxed for this solve. Bottom right corner fell last. I got a tiny nudge for Captain ALLNUT, due to the fact I’ve never seen The African Queen. Everything else fell rather easily. I stared at that bottom corner for a good 5 minutes of my total solving time, too!
One reason I believe the solve went fairly well for me, at least for a Saturday Stumper, is the fill is impeccable. These entries are SUPERB, and when a puzzle uses common words and phrases, although clued in a difficult manner, it’s a little easier to solve. Not much for me in the learn-something-new-everyday category, save for the previously mentioned Captain ALLNUT character.
Many highlights to mention…
- 6A [“Dr. Oz Show” creator] OPRAH – This was easy to infer since Dr. Oz, along with Dr. Phil, Oprah protegés of a sort. Both originated on her insanely popular TV show.
- 20A [Feature of many miniseries] ALL-STAR CAST – Great entry!
- 23A [Charlie Bucket creator] DAHL – Who doesn’t love Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl? The movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, is arguably much more popular.
- 53A [Only commonly ingested rock] NACL – Chemical symbol for table salt; no indication from the clue that the abbreviation/symbol is used. A minor gripe, but still it is gettable.
- 57A [Inconsiderable?] OFF THE TABLE – This is part of the reason why the bottom corner didn’t fall quickly. Great clue/entry.
- 2D [Floral complement on each side of an Oreo] TWELVE – How many different ways can we reference an Oreo? This begs a picture:
- 10D [Its first fleet was Model Ts] HERTZ – I had the H, so I figured a rental car company. Great informative clue.
- 33D [Mass quantity] BULK – My last word filled in. I had HULK, and was trying to figure out what MOH was for 32A [Common people]. Minor brain cramp, but it was a little worn out after the bottom right corner!
- 38D [Genesis 8 setting] MT ARARAT – Another entry with an abbreviation, and really no indication of such. Minor quibble here, too, though, because its not hard to get once you think a second.
- 46D [#2 name on the active career base-hit list] ICHIRO – A recent Learned League answer. Alex Rodriguez is first, followed by Ichiro Suzuki, Adrian Beltre, Albert Pujols, and surprisingly Bobby Abreu.
Again, a great puzzle. 4.5 stars from me. Next week is scaring me. Stumper probably eased up a bit for the holiday!
Alan Olschwang’s LA Times crossword – Derek’s write-up
Another fun Saturday toughie. Under 20 minutes, so its looking like the LA Times Saturday is a nice in-between option compared to the Newsday Saturday Stumper and the NY Times Saturday puzzle. Once again, other than a couple of minor entries, nothing objectionable to me in the fill. Crosswordese doesn’t seem to be any annoyance if its only one or two words in a puzzle; kinda seems like you need at least one or two to fill a decent, wide-open grid. But no complaints from me here. Some interesting entries:
- 1A [Washington music festival named for a legend] SASQUATCH – Never heard of this festival. Evidently it occurs on Memorial Day weekend in Washington state. Let’s go!
- 16A [Old Bristol-Myers dental product] IPANA – An old toothpaste! Still available in Turkey!
- 20A [Sports radio host Patrick] DAN – Would be tough if you didn’t realize Patrick was a last name. Gimme for me; shoulda clued him as “Sports Jeopardy host Patrick!”
- 30A [Miner matters] – ORE DEPOSITS – Nice pun.
- 40A [Traveler’s alternative] – HILTON HOTEL – Another nice pun. Had me thinking credit cards!
- 57A [___ Stone, winningest woman coach in college hockey] KATEY – Harder clue than [Married with Children actress Sagal].
- 60A [Eiffel Tower level] ETAGE – I’ve seen this entry a couple of times in recent puzzles. Another French word. Translates literally to “floor,” I believe.
- 63A [Masseur’s concern] TENSENESS – Nice clue.
- 5D [Carrier’s org.] USPS – Another shout out to my Postmistress sister! (the word postmistress recently was featured as a Jeopardy! answer)
- 12D [Multicolored pet] CALICO CAT – More familiar with this than the EGYPTIAN MAU from last week!
- 13D [Words betraying lack of readiness] IN A MINUTE – Great entry. Smooth use of a common phrase.
- 29D [Kirin competitor] ASAHI – How well do you know your Japanese beers?
- 30D [One working on lines] ODDS MAKER – Another great isdirection. Not clear without several crossings, at least not to me. Not a big gambler!
- 33D [Words before taking off] I GOTTA RUN – Not sure which of these common language phrases I like more; this one probably wins for best entry in the puzzle!
- 50D [Irregularly notched] EROSE – The only squirrelly entry in the puzzle. Clearly a crossword only word. Anyone use this regularly in their job??
Again, another great puzzle. Learning to love LAT puzzles! 4 stars.
Newsday July 4, 2014 – Saturday Stumper
Lester Ruff’s Newsday crossword, “Saturday Stumper” – Derek’s write-up
Still feel improvement coming on! Under 18 minutes! And a great puzzle to boot! Had Friday off, on vacation until 7/13; maybe the brain was nice and relaxed for this solve. Bottom right corner fell last. I got a tiny nudge for Captain ALLNUT, due to the fact I’ve never seen The African Queen. Everything else fell rather easily. I stared at that bottom corner for a good 5 minutes of my total solving time, too!
One reason I believe the solve went fairly well for me, at least for a Saturday Stumper, is the fill is impeccable. These entries are SUPERB, and when a puzzle uses common words and phrases, although clued in a difficult manner, it’s a little easier to solve. Not much for me in the learn-something-new-everyday category, save for the previously mentioned Captain ALLNUT character.
Many highlights to mention…
- 6A [“Dr. Oz Show” creator] OPRAH – This was easy to infer since Dr. Oz, along with Dr. Phil, Oprah protegés of a sort. Both originated on her insanely popular TV show.
- 20A [Feature of many miniseries] ALL-STAR CAST – Great entry!
- 23A [Charlie Bucket creator] DAHL – Who doesn’t love Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl? The movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, is arguably much more popular.
- 53A [Only commonly ingested rock] NACL – Chemical symbol for table salt; no indication from the clue that the abbreviation/symbol is used. A minor gripe, but still it is gettable.
- 57A [Inconsiderable?] OFF THE TABLE – This is part of the reason why the bottom corner didn’t fall quickly. Great clue/entry.
- 2D [Floral complement on each side of an Oreo] TWELVE – How many different ways can we reference an Oreo? This begs a picture:
- 10D [Its first fleet was Model Ts] HERTZ – I had the H, so I figured a rental car company. Great informative clue.
- 33D [Mass quantity] BULK – My last word filled in. I had HULK, and was trying to figure out what MOH was for 32A [Common people]. Minor brain cramp, but it was a little worn out after the bottom right corner!
- 38D [Genesis 8 setting] MT ARARAT – Another entry with an abbreviation, and really no indication of such. Minor quibble here, too, though, because its not hard to get once you think a second.
- 46D [#2 name on the active career base-hit list] ICHIRO – A recent Learned League answer. Alex Rodriguez is first, followed by Ichiro Suzuki, Adrian Beltre, Albert Pujols, and surprisingly Bobby Abreu.
Again, a great puzzle. 4.5 stars from me. Next week is scaring me. Stumper probably eased up a bit for the holiday!
Alan Olschwang’s LA Times crossword – Derek’s write-up
Another fun Saturday toughie. Under 20 minutes, so its looking like the LA Times Saturday is a nice in-between option compared to the Newsday Saturday Stumper and the NY Times Saturday puzzle. Once again, other than a couple of minor entries, nothing objectionable to me in the fill. Crosswordese doesn’t seem to be any annoyance if its only one or two words in a puzzle; kinda seems like you need at least one or two to fill a decent, wide-open grid. But no complaints from me here. Some interesting entries:
- 1A [Washington music festival named for a legend] SASQUATCH – Never heard of this festival. Evidently it occurs on Memorial Day weekend in Washington state. Let’s go!
- 16A [Old Bristol-Myers dental product] IPANA – An old toothpaste! Still available in Turkey!
- 20A [Sports radio host Patrick] DAN – Would be tough if you didn’t realize Patrick was a last name. Gimme for me; shoulda clued him as “Sports Jeopardy host Patrick!”
- 30A [Miner matters] – ORE DEPOSITS – Nice pun.
- 40A [Traveler’s alternative] – HILTON HOTEL – Another nice pun. Had me thinking credit cards!
- 57A [___ Stone, winningest woman coach in college hockey] KATEY – Harder clue than [Married with Children actress Sagal].
- 60A [Eiffel Tower level] ETAGE – I’ve seen this entry a couple of times in recent puzzles. Another French word. Translates literally to “floor,” I believe.
- 63A [Masseur’s concern] TENSENESS – Nice clue.
- 5D [Carrier’s org.] USPS – Another shout out to my Postmistress sister! (the word postmistress recently was featured as a Jeopardy! answer)
- 12D [Multicolored pet] CALICO CAT – More familiar with this than the EGYPTIAN MAU from last week!
- 13D [Words betraying lack of readiness] IN A MINUTE – Great entry. Smooth use of a common phrase.
- 29D [Kirin competitor] ASAHI – How well do you know your Japanese beers?
- 30D [One working on lines] ODDS MAKER – Another great isdirection. Not clear without several crossings, at least not to me. Not a big gambler!
- 33D [Words before taking off] I GOTTA RUN – Not sure which of these common language phrases I like more; this one probably wins for best entry in the puzzle!
- 50D [Irregularly notched] EROSE – The only squirrelly entry in the puzzle. Clearly a crossword only word. Anyone use this regularly in their job??
Again, another great puzzle. Learning to love LAT puzzles! 4 stars.
Randall J. Hartman’s CrosSynergy/Washington Post crossword, “HAT Tricks”—Ade’s write-up
CrosSynergy/Washington Post crossword solution, 07.04.15: “HAT Tricks”
Hello there, and a Happy Fourth to you all! Arrived in Texas, and my apologies I haven’t gotten this up earlier. Today’s crossword puzzle, brought to us today by Mr. Randall J. Hartman, includes four three-word theme answers all possessing the “H-word-AND-T-word” pattern.
- HOT AND THIRSTY (20A: [Parched])
- HERE AND THERE (28A: [From time to time])
- HIGH AND TIGHT (44A: [Like a purpose pitch])
- HARRY AND TONTO (53A: [1974 film for which Art Carney won the Best Actor Oscar])
Can’t look back at all the times I’ve done puzzles in, but probably the fastest time I’ve ever posted. Some might have an issue with THEY’RE OFF, as sometimes the call at the race track is “And they’re off!” (11D: [Shout heard at the track]).
Was going to talk a little more about the puzzle, but I just realized what day it was, along with an entry in this grid, and why this puzzle, in a subtle way, is actually a tribute puzzle. Here’s why I believe that…
“Sports will make you smarter” moment of the day: LOU GEHRIG (34D: [Ballplayer nicknamed “The Iron Horse”]) – On this day 76 years ago, LOU GEHRIG, the Hall-of-Fame first baseman of the New York Yankees of the 1920s and 1930s, delivered one of the most famous speeches in American sports history in front of over 60,000 fans at Yankee Stadium. Gehrig, battling a disease (ALS) that now also bears his name, spoke after a few other New York dignitaries paid tribute to him in between games of a doubleheader. I’ll let the video take over from here…
See you all for the Sunday Challenge, and have fun on this holiday.
Take care!
Ade/AOK
Nope, not just you. I found this to be quite the easy Saturday as well. Found it quite enjoyable, too. There were a couple points where the clues strained so hard to be cute that they drifted into arguable inaccuracy, but that was a micro-nit compared to the excellent fill.
Once I got past the Baba Ganoush/Baba Ghanouj confusion (I must frequent a more Americanized class of Lebanese restaurant) and my own Hail Mary of Jedi Mind Block (not a fan of the Star Wars canon, I’m afraid), this fell with surprising ease.
I thought the spelling of BABA GHANOUJ was cool and I learned something, but another part of me thought it was extremely pretentious. I assume that there are far more Google hits for a spelling that reflects how it is pronounced: BABA GHANOUSH. The alternate spelling didn’t slow me down because JEDI MIND TRICK was a gimme. Only the SW gave me any problems and this weekend’s puzzles were definitely both on the easy end of the spectrum.
I thought it was interesting that TYSON GAY was an entry. He was suspended for a year for testing positive for a banned substance. I personally believe that use of banned substances is pandemic in sports and was especially so in sanctimonious baseball in the steroid years. The one person I am hoping does not ever test positive is USAIN BOLT because his speed is so transcendent, but given the ubiquity of positive drug tests among sprinters and especially Jamaican sprinters, there will always be suspicions.
Steve
Steve,
In Arabic the end sound is much closer to a J not sh. Baba Ghanouj means “Dad is Ticklish :)” That J is a little softer than the way you might say it in Jest or Just. And the initial GH is a sound that is not hard G (like Gaga) but has a little t roll to it from the back of the throat, a bit like the Parisian French say their R. And BTW, authentic BBG needs to have a smoky flavor, from grilling the eggplants (with skin) directly on coal before removing the skin.
There are a number of dishes in the Syrian/Lebanese/Turkish cuisine that have names that are descriptive of reactions. For example, Imam Bayildi is a Turkish eggplant dish also made in Syria, Lebanon and I believe Greece which means “the Imam Fainted” (From ecstasy, presumably).
Some dishes bring religious figures in the name because they are meatless and there are days when meat is forbidden (especially in some of the Christian communities). For example, there is a version of Kibbeh (which is usually made with cracked wheat- bulgar- and meat) that is meatless and olive oil based (no animal fats) and it’s called the Kibbeh of the Monk.
Thank you, Huda. One of my most common evenings out with my children is to go to the movies in Tempe and have dinner at the local Greek restaurant in the Tempe Marketplace mall. There is not a specifically Middle Eastern restaurant in that mall or we would go there for sure.
My problem is that the J is not intuitive unless you are knowledgeable about Arabic–I can think of Hajj, taj, raj and not many other words that end in J, but I am not sure if they are indeed Arabic words.
Here is a list of Arabic Exonyms, but it seems to me that almost none of them would be acceptable fill in an American crossword.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_exonyms_for_Arabic-speaking_places
Steve
The Burj Khalifa is the tallest man-made structure in the world, if that’s worth anything.
NYT was nice, although not as easy for me as last week’s. No particular reason, except that some of the longer answers were slow in coming. I agree that the clue for BAKE was a stretch, and I thought the same of SPELLINGBEE clued as “character-building event.” You’re not building characters, but using characters to build words.
The Stumper was mostly straightforward but I came to grief in the NW. I’ve never come across WELT meaning a strip of some material on the side of a shoe, and I had DELT instead, which didn’t seem right but was the best I could come up with. Then I had ADA, not AVA, for the common girl’s name, which left me an impossible cross at 1a/2D. I have eaten some number of Oreos over the years without paying sufficient attention to their design…
Oh, and I don’t care for SOOT as a “form of carbon.” Sure, soot is carbon-rich, but it’s not a pure elemental form like diamond, graphite, or graphene.
NYT was easy for me except the top middle. Had no clue how to “correctly” spell babaghanouj here, couldn’t remember Tyson Gay for a long time… so I had WAILED and BABAGANNOUJ and couldn’t see anything there. Finally got Tyson Gay but still struggled to finish for awhile since I didn’t see WHIMS. And only just now got why HANGS is Chills. (As in hangs out, but not chills out.)
Derek,
Similar experience to yours with the Stumper – southeast was the last to fall. I didn’t know ALLNUT, and had SteinS before SABOTS (I guess that would be more German than Dutch). Also, in the south-central, I went with sAlt before SEINFELD said it had to be NACL.
I thought the ELUTE/LETHE crossing in the LAT was tough. That “L” was my last entry, and it was a guess. Neither word is familiar, and I was going with the misdirection on “flower.”
Both fun puzzles, regardless.
re LAT’s EROSE — Not unfamiliar if you are a botanist, or even just a home gardener?
Erose was covered in Bot 1 for me, just as enols were covered in Chem 1. I don’t see the problem with specialist terminology used >in moderation<.
Just under an hour for an “easy” stumper here. I pretty much guessed GOESITALONE to get a foothold, and was stuck awhile with SPINDLE instead of TREADLE. The SW was most difficult for me, due to all 3 down entries being multi-word, which can be hard to envision if you’re fixated on single words at first. You don’t see PEPBANDS very often, and I’m still wondering what the ANA org. is. Quite clever, though not flashy, to have arterial/sauterne crossing eritrean/treadle. New word learned was RAGLAN. And pearwood. Nice.