Themeless by Annemarie Brethauer
Note from Husker Gary: Due to a change in policy, this will be the last puzzle write-up that includes comments from the constructor.
This marks Annemarie's eighth LA Times published puzzle but her first themeless Saturday.
Annemarie worked for twenty years at a local government access channel as a writer/director/producer and was also used to being strictly behind the camera (Documentaries like "Know Your Zoning Code."). She is now retired and freelancing as a puzzle creator.
Annemarie is the third person from the left in this group of her group of "Wild Women Writing".
Here's what Annemarie has to tell us about the puzzle:
Dear Gary,
Here’s some information on the themeless crossword puzzle with LAMB in the upper lefthand corner.
I started with three phrases which I felt were lively: WE ARE NOT AMUSED, RARIN’ TO GO and UNICORN START-UP. I then filled around these entries with an eye toward balancing lexicon with pop culture references, abbreviations, proper names, etc., like in a themed puzzle.
I did have some back and forth with the editors until we got what they needed. I am embarrassed to admit that there was some duplication, such as WE ARE NOT AMUSED and later on, AMUSE, but it was handled. Enough said.
I was asked to redo the NE corner of the grid, to include more “Scrabble-y” letters, which I did: the puzzle now has JARS, JANUS, AXIS and AXEL.
I was also asked to increase the difficulty of the clues, since this was a Saturday puzzle. I am under the impression that these changes were accepted. Examples include changing “Brainwave type” to “Leader of the pack” for ALPHA and “Guitar virtuoso Paul” to “Fewer finishing early?” for LES.
I hope that helps your blog.
Sincerely,
Annemarie Brethauer
Across:
1. Rogan josh meat: LAMB - No idea but "meat" in the clue indicated LAMB might work. I looked up rogan josh: "Indian lamb curry with a heady combination of intense spices in a creamy tomato curry sauce."
5. Considerable care: PAINS - We bloggers take great PAINS to make these write-ups informative and entertaining.
10. Tipping points?: JARS - It had to be JARS but it took a while to decipher it.
14. Vinaigrette acronym: EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
15. "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" writer Bender: AIMEE.
16. Olympic leap: AXEL - Ice Skating
17. Centerpiece of a Hogwarts ceremony: SORTING HAT - Benign cross cluing gave me this esoteric answer.
19. First digit in a California ZIP code: NINE.
20. "Do you see me smiling?": WE ARE NOT AMUSED - This use of the royal "WE" is attributed to Queen Victoria in response to a risqué joke.
22. Khartoum waterway: NILE - Today I learned the White and Blue NILE converge at Khartoum, Sudan and become simply the NILE that flows north to Cairo
23. Mid-month day: IDES.
24. Sullivan of "This Is Us": CHRIS - He's on the right
24. Sullivan of "This Is Us": CHRIS - He's on the right
27. Weather bureau tool: RADAR - Here Omaha RADAR shows a possible tornado near Lincoln
29. Calendar col.: FRI.
32. Marla who plays second base for the Peaches in "A League of Their Own": HOOCH - When scouting Marla, they saw an athletically talented girl who did not fit their appearance criteria. (A favorite movie of mine about baseball and sibling relationships.)
33. "Give it all you've got!": LET 'ER RIP and 34. All fired up: RARIN' TO GO - two examples of eliding (elidin')
35. Brut alternative: AFTA - Did anyone else think of champagne first?
36. Butterflies-to-be: PUPAE.
38. Tony-winning role for Heather Headley: AIDA - In Elton John's and Tim Rice's AIDA
39. Like most dog parks: OFF LEASH - Unfettered doggy playground
41. Sharp scarps: CRAGS.
42. Paradise in literature: SAL - Aha, a character I know! SAL Paradise is the narrator in Jack Kerouac's On The Road
43. Javelin, essentially: SPEAR.
45. Dad's rival: HIRES - Root beers
46. Trick ending?: STER - Loki is a mythological TRICKSTER
47. "A Visit From the Goon Squad" novelist: EGAN.
49. Venture capitalist's dream: UNICORN STARTUP - A privately held company worth more than $1B. Named for their rarity.
55. Surf sound: ROAR.
56. Psychological horror series starring Vera Farmiga: BATES MOTEL - No idea about this series or Vera but the fill became pretty obvious for us fans of Hitchcock's 1960 movie Psycho.
58. Site for finding home services: ANGI - Formerly Angie's List
59. Gather: AMASS.
60. Part of one's inheritance?: GENE.
61. "The Lady of Shalott" device: LOOM - An Elizabeth Siddal illustration for Tennyson's poem
62. Eponymous museum founder: GETTY - Our skilled bus driver got us up here from the 405 Fwy in Los Angeles
63. __ buco: OSSO - A cwd favorite
Down:
1. __ Fauves: Matisse group: LES - LES Fauves is French for "The Beasts". The phrase was coined by a critic about artists inspired by Matisse and others. It appears that neither of Annemarie's clues of "Guitar virtuoso" nor "Fewer finishing early" made it in.
2. Swear: AVOW.
3. "We're Going to Need __ Wine": Gabrielle Union memoir: MORE.
4. Like herbal remedies: BOTANICAL.
5. Advisory group: PANEL.
6. Designer Etienne: AIGNER - I remembered this from Gary Laron's and Amy Enz's May 27, 2022 puzzle. Shop for one of his bags
7. Online qualifier: IMHO - In My Humble Opinion and 26. "omg 2 funny": ROTFL - Rolling On The Floor Laughing
8. "I like the way you think!": NEAT IDEA.
9. Say when?: SET A DATE.
10. Roman god associated with doors: JANUS - Here ya go
11. Graph line: AXIS - x, y or z AXIS
12. Glassmaker Lalique: RENE - Bio
13. Blair Braverman vehicle: SLED - A female "musher" who has been in an Iditarod. Exhibit A for Saturday cluing.
18. Like most of the cast of "Derry Girls": IRISH - A Netflix series set during the troubled times of Northern Ireland in the early 1990's
21. Slight: MERE.
24. Pandemonium: CHAOS.
25. Pacino's "The Irishman" role: HOFFA.
 |
| Jimmy HOFFA Al Pacino as HOFFA |
28. Dominant: ALPHA.
29. Man on a mission: FRIAR.
31. "No thanks": I PASS.
36. Cheap cover for a textbook: PAPER BAG
37. Handle online: USER NAME
40. Spanish pronoun: ESTO ESTO es un pronombre
41. Win over: CHARM - "You CHARM the husk right off of the corn, Mame"
44. Double-check: RETEST - An axiom of science: RETEST to see if you get the same result
46. Curtain material: SCRIM - A seemingly blank wall can become an eerie scene behind a SCRIM curtain when it is lit
48. Full of hot air: GASSY.
49. Eurasian range: URAL.
50. Pitching gem: NO NO - Slang for a baseball no-hitter generated by sports writers who constantly look for a cute/novel phrase during a 162 game schedule.
51. "Thus do I ever make my fool my purse" speaker: IAGO - IAGO is manipulating Roderigo for "fun and profit"
52. DraftKings factoid: STAT.
53. Four Corners people: UTES.
54. Writes: PENS.
57. A fire sign: LEO.
We do welcome all constructors to comment, if they wish to do so, using our comment link below.
DNF. No need for specific complaints. This was the hardest puzzle LAT has ever run!
ReplyDeleteWhat does NO-NO have to do with a pitching gem???
Think I'll join some stalwarts and skip the overly difficult ones. Fri and Sat for sure, Sun, Thur TBA. Tues and Monday? That would be pathetic.
Are you ready and RARIN' TO GO?
Then LET 'ER RIP, and don't be slow!
Where do we scurry
In such a hurry?
Why, to do your chores, don't ya know!
{A.}
I Googled my way to FIR in a mere 52 minutes. I did not enjoy this CW at all. Far too difficult. DNK too many to list. Crossing obscure proper names. (AIMEE/AIGNER; CHRIS/HOOCH/HOFFA). I did manage to fill every cell correctly eventually but it was ~75% Google filled. I never read/saw any of the Harry Potter books/movies, so any clues there are unknown to me. SORTINGHAT? Only consolation was eventually filling it all in. Thanx for the terrific write-up, HG. Owen, 'NONO" is "no hits, no walks".
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteI'll disagree with Owen and unclefred. This puzzle was Saturday-worthy, but not the most difficult ever. This one came together in less than 20 minutes, par for the course on late-week puzzles. Yes, there were plenty of unknowns, but the long answers provided anchors, allowing the "benign cross cluing" to perform its function. (Gary, where did that come from?) Needed my Wite-Out only once -- to fix Nice/NEAT IDEA. Thanx, Annemarie and Husker.
ANGI -- I used them when I was looking for a local handyman to install a toilet. Could have tackled it myself, but it was a one-piece toilet in a small closet. I decided not to risk my back. The project turned out well, but the never-ending follow-up by ANGI was annoying.
I had one bad cell " nogo" instead of "nono" so this was a rare FIW for me. Other than that, most of the other difficult clues were solved with ESP. Oh well, I guess you can't win 'em all!
ReplyDeleteI WON! In "print preview" I counted the number of silly clues, and when I got to 20 I clicked "cancel".
ReplyDeleteFLN - The sitcom "Mom" explained MOCk TRIALs as "the high school play for law students" (or words to that effect).
See ya tomorrow. Or Monday. Or Tuesday.
Bfltspk. Yes, I thought of champagne and had ASTi for which BOTANICAL had to have the A. Not to speak of a B which got supplied by LAMB/loin. The O was from oath/AVOW.
ReplyDeleteNW slowly pieced together. The key was a long nap. I started Thursday
SAL was from my pre-2000 reading but I dredged it up(as I did HIRES
HG, BATES is the Psycho motel where Viv got splayed
The "Lady" spotted Lancelot prancing by and was doomed
"Fewer finishing early" was awfully fiendish. The frawnche* was easy
Re. 5/27. But Etienne was a lot easier to perp than AIGNER. AIMEE was pure WAG
Scott borrowed FRIAR Tuck for Ivanhoe
And FIR for Wilbur. Who'd athunkit?(after the first hour)
NO-No is No hits, no runs. We had a no-hitter recently but alas a run ruined it. Baseball as a Mendoza line(<.200). Saturday has the Wilbur line(if WC can solve) its doable
But yes very difficult for this aging brain
WC
FIR. Surprised myself even. Lots of unknowns for me, but persistence paid off and the perps helped me find my way. Tough puzzle!
ReplyDeleteGood morning. I am speechless but learned many new things. I am not sure they will stick. Thanks HG have a relaxing weekend, we are dealing with 10" of rain
ReplyDeleteThis took me 16:58 to finish.
ReplyDeleteExcess amount of obscure proper names, again.
I vote to veto the new policy - I've enjoyed hearing from the constructors.
I'll vote with you.
DeleteYikes, a FIR before my second cup of coffee! And on Saturday! I did have some WOs: putting A and W before HIRES, serving/sorcing,/SORTING HAT and newbORN/UNICORN STARTUP. My favorite was RIDGE crossing CRAGS, which brought back memories of my rock climbing days. Little by little the puzzle filled and was fun. Thanks, Annemarie.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Husker Gary, for your excellent review. I needed your explanation for NONO and enjoyed your extra information and pictures. It was new to me that LEO is associated with the element of fire. Many answers rose slowly from the depths of my brain as possibilities, which helped. So today I'm happy. (Sorry, Subgenius!)
I do hope constructors will comment on their puzzles, and I look forward to reading comments from everyone as the day goes on!
FIR in 30:11 on my own accord after making a few corrections to the filled in grid, BARS to JARS, and AISNER to ANGNER. As KS said above, persistence and perps paid off, which is usually the case on a difficult puzzle like today’s. Thank you Annamarie for the Saturday challenge, I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteHG ~~ another sparkling review, always illustrative and educational! Thanks for your time and effort! Just curious about the new policy of eliminating comments from the constructors, I’ve always found it very interesting to know their backgrounds and inspirations for creating the puzzles and it’s always been part of your Saturday blog.
Finishing puzzle with 7 names I never heard of was a minor miracle, but the fact it could be done was a testament to the puzzle. Why this new policy??
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteI won’t complain about the difficulty because I finished in 23:03 which, while not in SS’s league, is below average Saturday time for me, as I don’t speed solve. I will complain again, though, about the preponderance of proper names and, even more bothersome, the totally unnecessary and annoying practice of cluing common, ordinary words with proper names/nouns. The most grating today was “We’re Going to Need ___ Wine”=More.
FYI
Today’s puzzle: 25 Proper names, 8 common words clued with proper references
February, 2022 Saturday puzzle: 17 Proper names, 3 clued with proper references
January, 2022 Saturday puzzle: 13 Proper names, 2 clued with proper references
Gary, thanks for your always sparkling reviews and visuals. I will miss the interaction with the constructors, as I’m sure you will, too.
I think we all looked forward to “meeting” the constructors and learning about their thoughts and their craftsmanship.
Have a great day.
Agree way too many proper names. Really, Marla HOOCH, a minor character in a 30-year-old movie. Also SAL and EVOO? Though "MORE wine" was my first thought.
ReplyDeleteI only remember AIGNER because 40 years ago it was a very hot brand. A local store (Cohoes Mfg. Co.) had a yearly Presidents' Day sale on Aigner pocketbooks for which women lined up for blocks.
Can't blame non-baseball addicts for missing NO-NO for no-hitter. I've been a fan for 70 years and have heard the expression only a handful of times. It and others like it are an irritation I have had to tolerate from semi-literate broadcasters trying to find another term for no-hitter and to show their hipnicity.
ReplyDeleteI might have gone with "____ Nanette"
Whew! At first, I thought they meant no more commentary from the commentators (the bloggers of this blog). I misread it, Thank Goodness!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteWhat and why is the new policy?
An official DNF because I needed Red Letters and alphabet runs to get the many unknown names.
I agree with IM and others on the names.
I did know Etienne AIGNER, because they made high heel shoes that were low that DW liked. But that was in the working days. High heels are no more in this household. Bare feet and comfortable shoes prevail now. I think the high heels all went to Good Will. I don't see how women put up with the punishment of wearing high heels.
The local Amish farm market opened this week and they have fresh, local strawberries. Time for shortcake and just plain berries in a bowl. Soon there will be other fresh produce available. Happiness is back.
Hi Y'all! IMHO: Groan!
ReplyDeleteThank you for persevering with good commentary, Gary.
I thought Rogan Josh was a singer whose name was Josh Rogan askew. Food? Took a long while to come up with LAMB which we never had on our table.
Got 'er done in 38:43 and was amazed that I filled it at all.
Thank you Annemarie for a delightfully WILD Saturday themeless. I say delightful because this is my first Saturday FIR in several weeks and it extends my streak from yesterday to 2. I'm on a roll! Not to say that it was easy, but like AESOP's tortoise I was able get all the clues I knew and PERPetrate those I didn't.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you Gary for another fine review. Let's hope your invitation will encourage even more constructors to add their two cents in the Comments section. If you don't mind I think I'll add a similar codicil to the end of my reviews.
Some favs:
45A AFTA. As with other's I had ASTI first, but it was 50% PERPless.
45A HIRES. Had SIRES first, but was CHARMED into changing it to HIRES. Don't recall DADS root beer in my neck of the woods.
61A LOOM. Thought that "Lady of Shallot" might have been an anglicisation of the 1969 film The Madwoman of Chaillot set in Paris. Her "device" is that she was a LOON, which however didn't perp.
1D LES. "Les Fauves" was a gimme to this Baltimoron, as the BMA's Cone Collection has the world's largest number of paintings by Henri Matisse in a public museum.
3D MORE. A riff on what Mary said to her Son in John 2:3?
44D RETEST. AKA REPLICATION. This is apparently a big problem in modern science. It's even big enough to have its own website.
Cheers,
Bill
Subgenius @6:06 AM Don't sweat it. You're way ahead of me, not that I'm any great shakes as a solver.
Husker Gary Hand up I really, really want to know who made the new policy about no more constructor comments and why? I have a theory that is not very nice and I am hoping there is a good reason?
ReplyDeleteAIMEE crossing AIGNER? Just NO NO! And another Natick Storm out of the West with CHRIS, HOOCH, SAL, HOFFA as clued. And there needs to be some clue to an eliding answer?
Jinx I FIR but you were very wise to bail out early. The reward has to match the effort and maybe that is what is missing with our new Natick editor?
No FRIAR here, but the FATHER of our Santa Barbara MISSION posed with my friend Sharyn Chan in my article yesterday.
If you miss looking at this article, you really have no idea what you are missing.
Dear (H) Gary,
ReplyDeleteNormally, I would just take a Thumper,
but I am not feeling well, and a good rant might help my disposition.
Excuse me?
Your opening statement begs that you elucidate...
Change in policy?
Whom may I ask is the director of this "policy.?"
For what purpose?
If a constructor sends "you" a letter, are you forbidden from publishing it?
(WE ARE NOT AMUSED!!!)
Thank you HG, I am starting to feel a little ornery...
I always enjoy hearing from the constructors and the numerous clue changes. Was the directed from the Times and the new editor?
ReplyDeleteWell….?
DeleteObscure cluing with proper names and nouns doesn't make for a better puzzle. I certainly hope this trend will not continue in the future. No comments from the constructors seems a little Orwellian. Who's being protected by this policy?
ReplyDeleteI haven’t commented in some time.
ReplyDeleteI’m not liking the changes being made.
I’m not liking the lack of decent clues.
I’m thinking this new puzzle editor should move over to People magazine.
And why can’t the authors comment? Is the editor that lacking in confidence?
CED, I can't stop laughing at "your" therapy dog - thanks! Where do you find these gems?
ReplyDeleteHG, great write-up as always. I especially enjoy your clips. "League of Their Own" was one of them.
SCARP? Finally got CRAGS, when I thought maybe it was from escarpment. Held on too long - aRAL, instead of URAL. Yeah, I know the cw clue for Aral is "disappearing sea." Never heard of "The Irishman." More movies-never have been a moviegoer. Figuring maybe it was a nickname, I inked "Hoffy." Yeah, I know - embarrassing.
This ol' dog misses Rich.
Crickets.....
ReplyDeleteI sincerely hope that many of my friends here will not stop frequenting the Crossword Corner because of the unfortunate direction things have been going to lately. Please, friends, hang in there as long as you can!
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteThis is what I got b/f cribin' OFF HG's grid for some extra play #Aha!s
Thanks Annemarie for the grid and some inside-baseball. This is truly a Sat puzzle.
//Speaking of baseball, I knew what 32a was referencin' but no clue who's playing whom.
HG - you're a peach. Thanks for the grid reveal and thanks for reaching out to AB for back-story. I did like the NW corner so I'll give Patti props.
//why no constructor comments? I think they're great for aspiring constructors like me #RollWithEdits
WOs/ERRs/ESPs: [see: link]
Fav: UNICORN START-UP. Last week I had lunch with a guy* who's backed by VC$. That UNICORN VP wanted my Advic[s?]e (PANEL(?)) re: infosec.
No!, I'm not jumping. I'm already moving homes I ain't movin' paychecks :-)
I also liked NO NO... a near perfect game (there could be a walk). My fav was Astros v. NY - 6 pitchers to complete the No-No.
Who else is looking forward to the Nolan Ryan Documentary? [Trailer] (does that help re: pitching gem, OKL?)
//Nolan grew up in Alvin, TX - about 25 minutes from here.
45a - I so wanted A and W (got that frosty mug taste (Hi ATLGranny!)) [y'all remember those cans' pull tabs?]. HIRES is new to me.
{A+}
PK - There's a Josh Rogin @ The WaPost and Seth Rogen who's an comedic actor. I wanted hAMs but... not kosher ;-)
35a - All I could think was Hai Karate; Brut by Faberge [Eddie Murphy - TVMA].
ROTFL, CED. That dog's is the same look my shrink gives me ;-)
PVX - nice to see you. Yeah, the puzzle is getting a little too hip for my britches. I thought of the ' endings at 33a & 34d but didn' commit 'cuz no indication of #Slang.
I've rambled... Cheers, -T
*A guy I know who knows a guy #hoffa ;-)
Hola!
ReplyDeleteYes, I'll hang in here as long as I can but it's not encouraging when so much cluing is obscure and apparently aimed at a younger set. I'm just not current on the new movies, etc. in popular culture. For too long I've relied on my knowledge of classical information. And I've never seen any of the Hogwarts movies.
A really good friend is a Franciscan FRIAR who advised us that they, the Franciscans, are leaving their sites in Arizona including St. Mary's Basilica and San Xavier del Bac in Tucson. That saddens me but they don't have the personnel to staff them.
Though I really like the show, This is Us, I don't know all the characters names so CHRIS was a LIU.
Sigh. I may have to say I PASS to these Saturday puzzles.
I hope you are all enjoying a beautiful Saturday though I know the Florida contingent are in the throes of a hurricane! Please be safe.
Just became aware of crossword corner and am enjoying it very much. I must agree with those who disagree with the new "gag order" being imposed on constructors.
ReplyDeleteRegarding this Saturday's puzzle: l HTGTCOOI (Had to Google the c*ap out of it).
I now have a URL.
DeleteAnnemarie, it was great to be able to get your comments on constructing your puzzle, and I too hope the new policy will be changed and we'll be able to continue to get constructor's straight-forward remarks. Husker, your pictures were delightful, many thanks for those.
ReplyDeleteSubgenius, it made me sad to see you not happy today.
Liked your verse, Owen, and your comments Wilbur.
And, Irish Miss, because you are one of the most important and respected members of our group, I hope the editors will take your thoughtful comments seriously, and allow constructors to continue to comment.
Why are constructors now banned from paying us a visit? Are the new editors afraid we'll discover how many changes they've made and perchance how much better the original clues were? Alas, Anne Marie's write-up will be the last opportunity we get to experience how the constructor thinks...Sheesh 😠
ReplyDeleteAny hoo
The SW corner did me in..."curtain material" crossed with Lady Shallot..etc..
Inkovers: axle/AXEL (you'd think I would remember by now), satin/SCRIM
IAGO and Lear the only two common CW 4 letter Shakespeare guys I could think of. Finally parsed ROTFL (I prefer LMAO 😉)..but SAL for paradise? UNICORN STARTUP? Held off on ANGI, thought it was spelt Angie. "Pitching Gem"? ...💎 wouldn't fit.
I guess "We're going to need MORE wine" was not a quote from the Wedding Feast of Cana Bible story...😃
Draftking factoid? What??..then thought "Dad's rival" was a dog food company. AIMEE?, the only "Rogan" I know is Joe. There's journalist: Josh Rogin and like Anon T said an actor: Seth Rogen
I coincidentally just finished reading "A visit from the Goon Squad" by Jennifer EGAN last week. The plot jumped around excessively and there were too many characters to keep track of especially when I can only read in fits and starts. But giving her another go with "The Keep" this week. So far I like..
I felt ____ foolish not knowing the answer..OSSO.
What the Brits do around 4pm...GETTY
Almost hung VP....PENS
If you didn't bring any the grocery store now makes you....PAPERBAG
Have a nice rest of the weekend 😁
Lucina - when I was first was puzzle-playing 20-ish years ago, I was proud to get a Monday [MIL had to tell me what a SCOW was - she lived in NYC for a spell].
ReplyDeleteThen a Tuesday. A Wednesday? #Whoot.
I still look at Saturdays as a learning-day and now I'm learnin' UTE-speak [My Cousin Vinny]
I'll stay with the LAT even w/ the changes... Like talking w/ my Girls' & their friends - I learn their lingo and stay fresh/hip/groovy w/ the modern day vernacular.
#Forever Young before I hit the #The End of the Line :-)
Ray-O: St. Joe's was for us lower middle-class Catholic kids. We got to play with crayons on our PAPER BAG text covers. ;-)
Cheers, -T
What change in policy?
ReplyDeleteSubgenius @2:02 PM Don't worry, the friends of C.C. won't abandon you.
ReplyDeleteProfMeritus @ 2:48 PM Welcome to the Corner! Stick around, you'll love the place despite the regime change. As the Chinese say, "all things must pass" and somethings pass more quickly than others. HTGTCOOI. New Crosswordese - LMAO and ROTFL simultaneously! BTW we have several Emeriti here, including Misty and Ole Man Keith. You should "go blue" (Cornerese for getting a profile, with optional avatar, listings of your interests, optional email address, etc.). Oops, I'm so long winded you beat me to it.
Ray - O @2:39 PM I think the answers to your questions are on the tail end of last Saturday's review (May 28th), and the constructor's comments after the Sunday puzzle. "We're going to need more WINE" was at least a paraphrase.
I’m not sure why the puzzle constructors comments aren’t going to be included anymore. I like the comments and being able to put a face to a puzzle. Please explain the new “policy”
ReplyDeleteI think Ray O Sunshine stated the questions very eloquently:
ReplyDelete"Why are constructors now banned from paying us a visit? Are the new editors afraid we'll discover how many changes they've made and perchance how much better the original clues were?"
My thoughts exactly. I cannot conceive of any other reason to make such a prohibition.
It's damn close to being the last straw.
I cherish engaging in written conversations with you folks and will continue coming here to read what you all have to say and to contribute my thoughts and experiences as well, in spite of my finding less and less pleasure in the puzzles and ever decreasing incentive to attempt them.
Good wishes to you all.
Yes, changes in puzzle clues can be attributed to the new editors and judged accordingly. Constructor's comments must be continued.
DeleteTEXMs @ 1:30 ~ Re your closing sentence (and sentiment), a hearty and heartfelt Amen.
ReplyDeleteMisty @ 2:38 ~ Thank you for the kind words. Perhaps the multitude of voices might be heard.
ProfMeritus @ 2:48 ~ Welcome to the Corner.
Jayce @ 3:32 ~ Your penultimate sentence expresses my feelings to a T.
Anon-T@2:39,
ReplyDeleteYour experience mirrors mine,
Except I started with the 11x13 "kiddie" puzzle under the Peanuts comic.
When that got regularly solvable, I graduated to the LATimes. I found this Blog by accident looking for an explanation to something I could not understand. (I think it was "Greek walkway" = Stoa, crosswordese#3,968. An avalanche of learning followed.)
Now I am embarrassed if I can't complete a Monday.
Tuesday, the ink flowed, the gears turned, life was good...
Wednesday, toss the pen and sharpen the pencil.
Thursdays were a toss up between aargh and aha!
And I always looked forward to a Friday challenge because it was gimmicky theme day, and while tough the theme gimmick gave an "extra clue" that helped the solve.
Saturdays, well, Saturdays are still something to aspire to...
I think Husker Gary is being ambiguous on purpose, to evoke a response.
I cannot believe that this would be CC's doing,
And it does not reflect the constructionist character of Patti Varol.
While I understand the reasoning of, no politics, no religion, to facilitate an orderly exchange of information,
this "policy change" smacks of censorship, and has no place in a journalistic environment.
FIR, but it took a while. I don’t do text speak too well, like IMHO.
ReplyDeleteI too love to hear constructor’s explanations. They can still comment like the rest of us, I assume.
A tough, but do-able Saturday PZL from Ms. Brethauer Well-documented by HuskerG.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the constructor's suggestions for clues were not accepted, especially her latter one for LES.
I always enjoy the thought of prim, proper Queen Victoria saying, "WE ARE NOT AMUSED." The ultimate put-down of stand-up comedy. Even darker than Will Smith vis-a-vis Chris Rock.
What a buzz-kill.
To really appreciate it, you have to imagine her first demanding that the joke be explained. Then count ten while she weighs it--before uttering the famous words.
(*See also the DR, [Diagonal Report] below, for another reaction to a verbal offering.)
Ah... AIMEE Bender was a gimme. The young author is a worthy Irvine graduate. I believe I had her in one of my undergrad playwriting classes. I can't be sure because of (a) the size of some of those classes and (b) my memory. I do remember her in some context on campus.
~ OMK
____________
DR: Three diagonals on the far side.
The central diagonal offers a JACKPOT ANAGRAM (a full 15 of 15 letters!) that at first glance seems to refer to a tasty puree dessert served in a classic German beer mug,
BUT--
Wait--hold on!
It actually is an observation muttered aloud by Papa Hemingway upon his disappointment in the bland, anodyne material read by his pal, Gertrude, in one of her Parisian poetic soirèes:
"APPLESAUCE, STEIN!"
Omitting Gary's opening comment, thus far I've counted 13 instances of the word "policy" from unhappy campers on the Corner. Not an auspicious number.
ReplyDeleteBill, I promise I am not picking on you, but because we speak different languages can you explain the intention of the statement you made,
ReplyDelete"Omitting Gary's opening comment, thus far I've counted 13 instances of the word "policy" from unhappy campers on the Corner. Not an auspicious number."
Are you suggesting 13 is not very many? There were 39 apparent individuals commenting so far today, which means 33% mentioned policy. 100% of those expressed a degree of disagreement with the idea a constructor can no longer comment. There were others who did not use the word policy who also seemed unhappy with the current direction of the LA Times. Since we have thousands of readers worldwide and only 150 to 175 ever comment on anything I am not sure this is a meaningful poll in any regard.
This is after all C.C.'s creation and blog and I will await further direction from her. I appreciate Gary's outrage and respect his feelings. He revolutionized an aspect of the blog.
I agree with you complete Lemony. As a former number cruncher I was just looking for a Q&D metric to express a very awkward situation. I truly love C.C. and wouldn't want to see her hurt by this, especially with all she's dealing now. Perhaps one of you legal beavers could explore the extent of a Cwd editor's remit. I can't recall a single instance of Rich having anything to say about C.C.'s creation. Perhaps it would be better to continue this discussion via the SMTP protocol.
DeleteFWIW, it may be that the idea is to have us already entangled, er, ah, 'enjoying' the current crossword, BEFORE we listen to the constructor's intent.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm wrong, then I'm with the rest of you: time for more elucidation
I'm glad that somebody knew something about some of the obscure clues cluing unknown books, authors, shows, and whatever 'Rogan josh' is but I wasn't one of them. 1A. 1D, 2D, 5D, 6D- no idea but I did get EVOO & AVOW. As far as Patti's direction I IS NOT AMUSED- where did that kind answer make it corresponding to the clue- the 'royal we'? DNF.
ReplyDeleteAIMEE, AIGNER, LES, CHRIS, HOOCH, AFTA, SAL, STER, EGAN, BATES MOTEL, MORE, RENE, SCRIM, NO NO, SORTING HAT- no way I would have ever filled any of them as clued. At least Maine and SE Florida got filled correctly.
unclefred- no STOG for me.
Jinx- only 20 silly clues?
anon@7:26- I'm not for vetoing anybody or anything
Subgenius- C.C. is the reason people comment here; NOT the constructor.
Is there money involved? Are constructors paid for their comments? Is anyone paid for any involvement on this blog? I really want to know. Thank you. If the answer is yes, then perhaps we can start a fund for that purpose. One thing at a time.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-C.C. and I have been dealing with this issue for a few days now. She has told me that she will offer an explanation of this change in policy in her blog tomorrow. This is her site and my respect, admiration and affection for her knows no bounds.
Maybe I missed it, but can anybody explain 26d "omg 2funny"=ROTFL ?????
ReplyDeleteAnon @6:54 PM "Rolling On The Floor Laughing" a synonym of LMAO ("Laughing My A** Off")
DeleteBig E - I just quit counting at 20. At that point I knew this one wasn't for me.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing that the end of constructor comments in the bloggers' posting is either legal or financial. Does including the words in the review create a compensable use of the authors' words, whereas comments on the blog posts do not? Maybe someone got a cease and desist letter, and it's often better to just comply with the danged things than to fight them. It wouldn't be worth getting a release every time, I think.
Lucina - In Michener's "Texas", he had a Mexican character named Javier, and an Irish (I think) character named Xavier. His Spanish-speaking characters pronounced them the same. Sound right to you?
Jinx @7:05 PM Send an email to the address in my profile and I'll tell the real reason.
DeleteAnonymous: I think it’s text speak. Rolled on the floor laughing. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong.
ReplyDeleteI would say if it's a legal or financial reason, then it's not a "change" in policy; it's a start to enforcing an existing policy.
ReplyDeleteI am reminded of that old Hanes underwear commercial: "It don't say Hanes until I say it says Hanes!"
"It's policy because I say it's policy!"
Go Celtics.Picard, I for one was amazed at the talent of those artists. I am art illiterate but I think I know talent
ReplyDeleteRe. "More to come on this, I reck'n.." @800 am. The understatement of the blogosphere
OMK, a 15*15! Would that be a UNICORN Anagram?
WC
My 2$ents…
A comment was indeed made by a constructor awhile back that I noticed at the time. In the modern world it's not unusual to see a new policy to eliminate 98% favorable to make sure the 2% negative are quelled
No, Wilbur, not as rare as a UNICORN.
ReplyDeleteRare enough, but in this case, achievable. Hence, a JACKPOT* !!
~ OMK
____________
* Rare enough to generate a FROTH of excitement.
Y'all - If it's going to be C.C.'s policy then we will abide or not play. I await the behind-the-scenes tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteY'all talking about money...(?) C.C. would be the only one to make a modicum of coin off this site. IFF you click an ad she might get $0.005, if you donate that's for her, if she builds a birthday puzzle for, say your MIL, that's also all her's.
Cute DR, OMK.
CED - I started with the word finders games after finishing Peanuts after my paper-route. Paternal Gramps played the crossword every day and had books with new-to-him words penciled-in. He'd sit there in his chair: "Lady? What's a 5 letter word for..."
"I'm not helping out your dumb-ass. Figure it yourself"
Good times :-)
WC - I don't know if you watched the Nolan Trailer but I found this sit-down with Pete Rose. #OnlyBaseballFansNeedApply
Y'all have a great eve.
Cheers, -T
Jinx in Norfolk@7:05
ReplyDeleteYes. Xavier is pronounced Javier in Spanish. X in a word has no equivalent sound in Spanish. It is pronounced like H, ergo, Javier.