EARLY ONSET CROSSWORDESE
( I fudged it; the cartoon actually said "the NYT...Sunday" )
Rebecca Goldstein and Rachel Fabi have paired up once more - I have blogged one other construction from the duo, back here - and now they only need a Thursday publishing to hit the "EGOT" ( or Grand Slam ) for all seven days with an LA Times crossword. ALAS & SADLY, I seem to have the same snags whenever I solve one of their puzzles. Today we have yet another non-standard, 15 x 16 grid, with prefix~? 'kickoff' clues and their 'dawning' definitions. No circles, a few names and abbrs, a balance of 20 3LWs and 5-letter ones, but a lot of meh fill, IMHO - your mood may vary. The themers, with no reveal;
17. Pseudo?: FALSE FRONT - e.g. a pseudonym, such as Theodore Geisel *
25. Neo?: NEW BEGINNING - No, not Keanu
"Neo", from The Matrix
38. Mono?: SINGLE ORIGIN - Learning moment for me
54. Mega?: GRAND OPENING - I goofed; my original fill in the grid was "GREAT", and while 60% correct, still wrong. I let the computer find my error(s), the black triangles in the solution below
64. Anti?: NONSTARTER - the only outlier, as this is not a two-word phrase
Ah - I found sumdaze's first ruler of the colony, "Ant I" - get it~?
But Wait - There's More~!
ACROSS:
1. Framing pieces: JAMBS - I do the Downs first, had J - - B -, and this is true from a carpentry point of view; windows and doors are, technically, framed with jambs
6. Layer under a tee: CAMI - T-shirt abbr, camisole abbr
10. Basketball commentator Rebecca: LOBO - filled via perps; name #1, and a self-shoutout for RG~?
14. Swings and misses three times, say: IS OUT - A poor at-bat in baseball - so many clunky two-term phrases in this crossword - and yet, none unique; I'm naming this type of fill "Twurds", #1
15. Nudge: PROD
16. Leaving less of a bad taste, maybe: RIPER - mmmmaybe~?
19. Annual EDM festival in 22-Down: ULTRA - no clue. I actually like Electronic Dance Music - yet I recognize no one from the lineup at this "concert", held in 22D. - I am surprised there was no circumreferential cluing here, being that it's Friday
20. Fashionably nostalgic: RETRO - I'm "retro" simply because I'm old, and never changed . . .
21. __ the consequences: DAMN - Oooo, swear word
23. Evil act: SIN - Oooo, more badness
24. Lab coat?: FUR - Labrador, that is. I have not given up on getting a dog - but I need a little more financial stability in the new year
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Cooper tore up the pink octopus - but I had gotten him new chew toys for Christmas~!
29. Word of woe: ALAS - alas, I did not care for some of the fill . . . .
31. Biological pouch: SAC
32. Maxims: SAYINGS
33. Portions (out): METES
35. Covered in crystals?: ICY
37. Stalter of "Hacks": MEG - name #2, my total WAG crossing 28D; Sigh. Meg RYAN was Monday
42. Also: TOO - one too
43. Pair: DUO - "two twos, too" - not tu-tu; too many 'to's
44. Spot targeted by butterfly stretches: GROIN
47. Takes up a lot of space: SPRAWLS - I had SPREADS, which is 5/7ths correct, 71.42%
51. "__ been a minute": IT'S - a minute is an endless amount of time in our instant gratification world
53. Ibiza, por ejemplo: ISLA - Español lesson
57. Shade tree: ELM - crossword staple
58. Tax counterpart: TIP - think dining, not death 😜
59. Missing GI: AWOL - Absent WithOut Leave
60. Concession speech?: "I LOST." - "Twurd" #2
62. Down in the dumps: MOPEY
68. Location, location, location: AREAS - Now this is a clever clue/answer - I'd like to see more of this, and less "Twurds".
69. Transcript figs.: GPAs - Grade Point Averages
70. Racing shell: SCULL - oaring - not roaring - like, say, F1
71. Leave in the lurch in the church: JILT - even the word sounds unpleasant - is that a variation on onomatopoeia~?
72. "Abominable" character named Everest: YETI - Abominable 4-letter . . . yada, yadi, yati - YETI~!
73. Word of woe: SADLY - sadly, some of this puzzle's clue/answers . . .
DOWN:
1. Peter Pan rival: JIF - semi-deceptive - peanut butter, not Disney & the original play - name(ish)
2. In general: AS A RULE - "I make a rule, not get involved with possessed people..."
"...Actually, it's more of a guideline"
3. "Naked" rodents: MOLERATS - "He's an ugly little spud, isn't he - I think he can hear you, Ray." Stantz & Venkman, also Ghostbusters. Interesting fact about - and almost cute image of - this animal
4. Get three eights in blackjack, say: BUST - Another good clue/answer; the best hand is "21"; anything over ( in this case, 24 ), and ...
Bugs Bunny had a one-card win, remember~?
5. Unsmiling: STERN
6. Procedure practiced on mannequins: Abbr.: CPR - Ah. Not sword testing, Forged in Fire style
"It will kill" - Yeah, OK, it's a ballistic dummy, I know
7. Preferring platonic relationships, informally: ARO - Aromantic, a very common fill lately
8. Café du __: New Orleans shop known for beignets: MONDE - Nailed it. It's a frequent location in the "Dave Robicheaux" books from James Lee Burke; name #3
9. Collar danglers: ID TAGS - Cooper only wears his when we go for a walk
10. Rapper __ Mama: LIL - name #4, her IMDb
11. Elects to participate: OPTS IN - "Twurd" #3
12. Strait off the coast of Siberia: BERING - geo name, #5. A bridge~? More here
13. Indonesian apes: ORANGS - good guess on my part; BONOBOS are "too big"
16. Over-easy serving: RUNNY EGG - strangely, this is a unique fill; I can only do scrambled eggs - otherwise, my tummy grumbles
18. Nemeses: FOES
22. Biscayne Bay city: MIAMI - Didn't know this - I once lived in Jacksonville, Florida; geo name #6
24. Sibs and 'rents: FAMily - Pa -rents
26. Make like a banshee: WAIL - Ah. I tried YELL first; only 25% correct
27. Covertly included: BCC'ed
28. Sushi bite sometimes served on a model boat: NIGIRI - I have actually seen this in a crossword before - here - and I hit on the last letter "G" for the WAG; but then we have . . . .
30. Vegan protein option: SEITAN - Although I am not thrilled to see this in a crossword, I realize it's Friday. I am intrigued to try using this as a pizza crust - which I currently make using ground chicken - more Seitan here
I will be happy again if it's yummy in my tummy ~!
34. Winter break?: SNOW DAYS - yeah, not so much as an adult, as CT DOT stays on top of clearing roads, so it's off to work I go 😕
36. "We doing this?": "YOU IN~?" - "Twurd" #4 - now it's getting absurd
39. Decline to take the high road: GO LOW - "Twurd" #5
40. Naan relative: ROTI - Asian "flatbreads" - the differences
41. Small bit of facial jewelry: NOSE STUD - of course I went with RING
45. "You won't get away with this!": "I'LL TELL~!" - "Twurd" #6
46. __ khao: Laotian crispy rice salad: NAM - Friday cluing for this 3LW; my only resolution for 2026 is to completely shift my diet to healthy foods, and today's puzzle is full of some good choices
A recipe - looks good - I'ma gonna try it
47. High-ranking noncom: SGT. MAJ.
48. A __: literally, "from what is earlier": PRIORI - I have heard of this term
49. Climber's descent: RAPPEL - My first thought, but hesitated
50. Absorbent: SPONGY - also my first thought, also hesitated
52. Foul mood: SNIT
55. Have no reception, say: ELOPE - Hey - you weren't JILTed
56. Corning Museum material: GLASS - I knew of this place, in upstate NY, but I went with "PYREX"
61. Killer whale: ORCA
63. Have a snack: EAT
65. "Etc.," in Pittsburghese: N'AT - WAY too localized, IMO, even for Friday; I see no Cornerites other than 'oc4beach' in PA on HuskerG's map
66. Fed. stipend for some people with disabilities: SSI - Supplemental Security Income; the website
The rest of the "dictionary" here
67. "Srsly?": RLY - Seriously~? Really~? Textspeak, unique, and meh.
* - Dr. Seuss
* - Dr. Seuss
Splynter
Grid Flow was a high 47.8
53 comments:
There were definitely
a few WAGS with this puzzle ( such as the crossing of “Meg” and “nigiri”). But I got through it.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning,
From Sunday 12/21/25 crossword, can anyone please explain clue 117A:
Place for a cross = STAND?
Good morning!
Learning moment: d-o didn't know how to spell RAPPEL. Does now, if he can remember two Ps, one L. YOU IN was awkward. The other two-word entries were OK. Thanx, Rebecca, Rachel, and Splynter.
FIR, but take->DAMN.
The only reason anyone would BUST with three eights in a casino is if you split your first two eights, and keep getting dealt eights until the casino rules won't allow you to split them again. That's typically four hands, so you would have to already have at least seven eights on the felt, which is possible but highly unlikely. You must always split eights, unless the casino allows surrender, which few do these days. (The exception is if you run out of money, which means you shouldn't have played the hand to begin with.) If you aren't aware of this, stay away from blackjack - craps and roulette will allow you to lose your money slower until you take the time to learn blackjack basic strategy. Nothing wrong with the fill, just another case of cluing something the setter knows nothing about. A better clue for BUST would have been "area accentuated by a 6 across."
Pretty easy Friday, especially for one set by Rebecca. I didn't like very much about this one, but "have no reception, say" for ELOPE made me smile. Thanks to Splynter for the fun Friday review.
Oh, and "twurds" was the best part of today's outing for me!
Actually, if the casino had a four hands maximum rule it would be five eights on the felt, not seven. Still very unlikely, but not impossible. I've played blackjack for hundreds of hours, and have never seen it happen.
FIR, but it was a struggle. There were way too many unknowns for me. There also was more than a few WAG's needed.
Nigiri crossing with Meg was cruel. Add the likes of seitan and Monde, and this puzzle took on a Saturday flavor.
Overall definitely NOT an enjoyable puzzle.
The theme was fine. I had FALSE START before FALSE FRONT, but the concept was easy to get.
Everyone knows that when you have two crossing names (LOBO x BERING, of which I knew the latter), what you should do is clue two more answers in the same corner as names (LIL, ULTRA).
THAT is how "NAT" was supposed to be parsed? I looked through all the Shortz Era clues for NAT in NYT puzzles, and none of them are N'AT. Most of the clues are, unsurprisingly, about NAT King Cole or NAT Turner (with [Turner of a page in history] as easily the best clue of all of them). There's also NAT Geo and the MLB team. I know that it's Friday, but there's no need for a perfectly normal 3-letter answer that's actually two abbreviated words in disguise.
Think courtroom...witness.
Thanks for the recap, but I gotta say I'm not a fan of the rather ugly portmanteau.
Good Morning:
I liked the theme and thought it was well-executed. However, I agree with Splynter on the two-word phrases, especially the conversational entries and such duplicatives as Opts In/You In, I Lose/I’ll Tell. My personal solving experience tells me that the many of the unwritten, but heretofore followed, rules/standards for constructing are either being ignored or watered down. I also see many more “Green Paint” entries, such as today’s Runny Egg, IMO. Changes are inevitable, I guess, but not always necessarily for the better.
Thanks, R and R, and thanks, Splynter, for the candid and enlightening review. Good luck with your New Year’s resolution of eating more healthier foods. Always fun to see your buddy, Cooper!
Have a great day.
13 down clue should have an abbreviation for orangs to work abbreviation for orangutans
TTP used to write NAT in the sense used in today's cw -- "and that."
`AS A RULEW,wen I see the name Goldstein, it's usually a NON-STARTER; I give the puzzles one pass. She has her 'not-so-cute' clues for fills crossing other weird fills that most solvers can only fill by perps and guesses. Today was no exception. I gave it one pass and actually got it all except the cross of two unknowns- MEG & "Hacks", and NIGIRI. RLY? (another stupid fill at 67D). It could have been MEL and NILIRI, so I left it blank.
SINGLE ORIGIN coming out of the clue 'Mono?' I know what mono means but not what Splynt's AI Overview says.
NOSE STUD- after blowing your nose, how do you get out a crusty booger out with one of those things in?
Splynter- what army do those chevrons belong to? They are NOT US ARMY. The US ones point up, not down.
'rents- I guess people of the constructors' age depend on their 'rents to pay their monthly rents.
Have any of you listened to an unknown Rebecca LOBO introduce Rapper LIL Mama while munching on SEITAN, ROTI, and NAM khao at the EDM festival in MIAMI that has the name ULTRA? I haven't, but I did fill them in correctly. I've never been to Pittsburgh either but she included a NAT, which had a gnat of a clue.
I was actually at the Cafe du MONDE this past Saturday. Some friends have a condo on Decatur Street directly across the street. We were watching the Sugar Bowl Parade which had multiple floats, marching groups, and bands. It was nice to hear actual musicians from the Ole Miss and Georgia bans vs. the usual no-so-good HS bands in the Mardi Gras parades. There was one very good HS band from a school named EASTON (don't know where it is located).
All five of the prefix clues are of Greek origin. I don't know if this was intentional on Rebecca's and Rachel's part, but kudos to them regardless. One might have thought that at least one or two of those prefixes were Latin. Nope. A learning moment for me.
I enjoyed today's puzzle; it was a fair and challenging Friday exercise featuring some clever misdirections. As a former Pittsburgher, I apologize for 65 Down. They really do say that. And don't get me started on my native city, Baltimore, and their wonderfully peculiar expressions and accents. Starting with the pronunciation of their city, Balmur.
Thanks, Splynter, for the comprehensive recap.
I enjoyed today’s puzzle, challenging as it was. I thought the theme was TIP top. I did encounter a few unknowns like LOBO, ULTRA, MEG, BUST, NAT, but WAGS and perps rescued me.
Several years ago I toured the Corning museum and watched GLASS blowing demonstrations. I liked the Lab coat clue.
Thank you Splynter for that fine review. Cooper is a sweet looking dog who wouldn’t hurt a fly, much less an octopus.
Took 8:48 today to get to the commencement, before it dawned on me.
I didn't know the Actress of the Day (Meg), despite being a fan of "Hacks."
I didn't know "nat," despite living about two hours from Pittsburgh.
I flat-out didn't know "seitan", "ultra," "nigiri," and "nam."
Thankfully, I enjoyed a beignet at Cafe Du Monde in August 2024. There's a good chance the powdered sugar mess I made is still there.
Musings
-LI_/U_TRA, ISL_/N_M and ME_/NI_IRI yielded to somewhat educated guesses and so I earned a got er done. “Natick, get thee be gone!”
-OTOH, obscure SEITAN had solid help.
-I liked that EDM too, Splynter. It seemed to have a real disco rhythm feel to it.
-GRAND OPENING: Our new yet-to-open store in our mall said it would open the first week in November.
-Unlike other WNBA peeps, Rebecca LOBO has praised what Caitlin Clark has brought to the game
-These are RETRO shoes from my misspent youth but today are worn by girls.
-SPRAWLS: “Manspreading” has entered our lexicon
-The last syllable of the full word for ORANGS is almost always mispronounced.
-I wonder if kids or teachers are more eager to celebrate SNOW DAYS?
-ROTI, NAAN and ATTA (I know it’s only flour for bread) are now firmly in my 4-letter cwd vocab
-CORNING still makes nosecones for aerospace vehicles
Addendum
-One of today’s constructor, Dr. Rachel Fabi, gives a very interesting TED TALK connecting crosswords and medicine!
DNS. Did not start. I find Rebecca's puzzles to not be enjoyable. Even when I manage to stumble through one of her "look how clever I am" offerings, the juice is just not worth the squeeze. On the other hand, Splynter always comes through with solid entertainment!
Not a terrible ordeal, considering it was a Rebecca Goldstein Friday puzzle. The theme was a bit meh and the paraphrases weren’t good, as usual, but it was a FIR, so no problem.
The Pittsburghese entry was difficult to parse, but it appears I was right that it means “and that.” . . . Considering how much women’s basketball appears in these puzzles, thanks to Patti, I don’t know how Rebecca LOBO remains unknown to some Cornerites. . . . I was dismayed that I needed perps for the Lao dish. . . . My sense was that the GROIN exercise wasn’t designed for men, but the illustration belied that. . . IS OUT was worse than green paint.
I’m definitely adding “twurds” to my vocabulary. Thanks, Splynter.
Good morning.
During the solve, I was thinking that once again, Friday is easier than Thursday. It seems to me that has been the pattern of late. But as I looked at my time and fill yesterday, I not only finished Thursday quicker, I didn't run into any real issues yesterday. Except for figuring out the theme after the grid was completed.
Today took a few minutes longer. Most of that time was working out NIGIRI, MEG and NAM. I had NI_I_I, G_OI_, ME_, and _AM. Seeing GROIN as a probability got two of the missing letters, it all came down to either MEl Stalter or MEG Stalter. I chose G. FTW!
SEITAN was also new. When I first read the clue, "Vegan protein option" I was confident it wouldn't be a problem for Naomi. My entry for that one was, to quote what Abejo used to write, "Six perps and I had it."
"Yinz driving up to Cleveland to watch the Stillers play the Brownies? Watch out for the cops. They're handing out tickets n'at to PA plates."
D-O, I smiled when I read 65D clue, "Etc. in Pittsburgheses" and immediately filled in NAT. You are correct, I've closed many of my comments here with "See all y'all later n'at!" as a homage to my family roots in Texas and Western PA.
If you heard me talk, you would pick up both. And try as I may, I have never been able to vocalize the differences between Don and Dawn, cot and caught, Cal, cow, cowl and Kyle, although if I really try on those last two, I can get close. The l sound disappears and becomes more of a w sound.
How Pittsburghese Came To Be
Thank you, Rachael, Rebecca and Splynter.
See all y'all later n'at!
Splitting eights is a strategic move to make the best of a weak hand. A bad player can opt to not do so, and choose to hit on 16, draw another eight, and BUST, just as the clue suggests.
Anon, it's allowed, but a player doing so would be rare. I've seen a lot of players split face cards, split 9s when the dealer shows a 7, and hit a pair of aces, but I've never seen a player hit a pair of 8s. If it's a face-up game (which nearly all seem to be these days,) the dealer would likely ask if the player wanted to split those 8s. I've also seen players stand on A-5 against a dealer's 6, explaining that the player didn't want to take the dealer's bust card. The dealer actually tried to talk the player into hitting that hand, and when the player declined, the dealer called it to the floor person (formerly called the pit boss.)
I got 'er done to FIR in 15, but only due to some lucky WAGs. WEES re MEG crossing NIGIRI, neither known to me, so the "G" was a WAG. 9 names, DNK 5. I had no idea what a "butterfly stretch" is. I was thinking literal butterflies, and needed all perps to come up with "GROIN" and even then it took Splynter to 'splain it. When it's a rapper with a three letter first name I WAG "LIL" and it is right more often than not. Don't know much about rap. Two references to SOFLO, "MIAMI" and "ULTRA", which helped. I've been to Cafe du Monde many times over the years, but today, being diabetic, couldn't have one of their powdered sugar coated beignets. Also been to Ibiza many times. San Antonio is not for me, but Santa Eulalia is quite nice. Unfortunately my very good friend that owned a condo and yacht there passed away in 2021. ARO has appeared a few times lately but still escapes me when clued, needed perps. WEES re "NAT". This was not my favorite CW for sure, but I did struggle through it. Thanx RG&RF. Thanx too to Splynter for the terrific write-up, and the great illustration for CAMI. And for enlightening me to several unknowns that I had managed to fill but didn't understand.
This’un from R&R was definitely not a day of rest&recuperation! Nasty crosses in the NE with the rappin’ Mama and the roundball mouthpiece AND the EDM fest in FL. At least BERING is reasonably common knowledge.
The theme wasn’t hard to grok, once I got onto the wavelength the two ladies were using; some of the clueing was fairly snazzy, like for JIF, ELOPE and CPR. We saw FUR presented similarly just the other day, didn’t we?
RUNNYEGGs? Yuck. Make mine solid.
I like your “twords” bit, Splynter! Perfect concoction to describe the things! (btw, wouldn’t SGTMAJ be one of those?). And I never “got” the NAT slang hook until someone up above set out how it came from “and that”. Fun stuff to know. Thanks, all y’all!
I always hesitated before I’d start a RAPPEL; who doesn’t? 😆
====> Darren / L.A.
Yes, it sometimes means "and that," but more often it stands for "than that," as in "I'll be later 'n' 'at." I still talk that way, despite not having lived in Pittsburgh for decades.
I agree with you. I saw Rebecca's name, and knew I wouldn't enjoy the puzzle.
Crosseyeddave here, hard to be grumpy sitting in the beach, but I tried to log in 3 times on my iPhone and this dang thingie still says I'm
Anonymous. Speaking of three times, I tried to print this out with less ink as a print option. So the printer decided to omit ALL the black squares. I then tried to ink in the squares myself, and missed. I then reprinted, and discovered later that the printer cut off the entire right side (one block) and half the right side clues. I give myself credit for getting orang without a grid , black square, or all of the clue! I also refuse a DNf, preferring to say "I never got a chance to start!"
I swear, I read layer under a tree at least 10 times, and when Cami appeared so did the missing R...
Aaaarggg!
Nope. Not in Pittsburgh.
With regard to splitting 8's in blackjack: I think the advice you'd get from most dealers is to split them vs a dealer's 2-7 (dealer's up card showing); surrender if the dealer shows an 8, 9, or 10 (if they allow it; otherwise, take a hit); split vs an Ace if the dealer doesn't have blackjack
TTP, I somehow would have thought you'd have tried using "DIPPY EGGS" for 16-down (another popular Pittsburgh expression)
Puzzling thoughts:
Great job, Splynter, on the recap. This one would've tested my mettle
As one who lived in Pittsburgh for five years I learned many words from the Pittsburghese dictionary. I still use a few of them. Gumband, e.g., instead of Rubber Band
Based on my multiple 3 strike outs today, I would love to respond to this puzzle with my fav new word (instead of Thumper.)
This was a twurd #1...
Chairman Moe, eggzactly!
I grew up with it. I also actually thought that slippy (slippery) and pobbly (probably) were real words.
I'd guess you would remember Isaly's. In the Burgh, they had the "chipped-chopped" (meaning very, very thinly sliced) ham sandwiches that everyone just called chipped ham.
Then Isaly's invented the chocolate covered frozen ice cream sandwich bars known and trademarked as Klondike Bars. After that, no matter what the real names of the frozen chocolate covered ice cream bars were (such as Polar Bars), they were called klondike bars in and around Pittsburgh.
I never ever heard my dad say rubber band. It was always gumband.
The only reason I commented today was because of N'AT in the puzzle today. It brought back a flood of memories.
Desper-otto, you sir, are correct! On This Very Day In Blog History - Jan 9, 2014 - My closing with See y'all later n'at"
WEES
Basic strategy has been around since minicomputer (like the PDP 1170) timeshare applications. There are several versions, depending on things like number of decks, whether the dealer stands on soft 17, whether surrender is offered (and if so, if early surrender allowed,) and whether doubling after splits is allowed. I've never seen one that recommended hitting 8-8 under any circumstances. Dealers recommend many things, some good, some horrid. I've heard many recommend taking blackjack insurance, which is always a bad move (unless you are counting cards.)
My parents called them "dippy eggs," and are still my favorite at breakfast places. (I was taught to dip my toast into the yolk.)
Interesting Friday puzzle--many thanks, Rebecca and Rachel for this morning experience. And your commentary is always a pleasure, Splynter, many thanks for that too.
Well, this puzzle had a variety of areas that had bits of negativity here and there, ALAS, and ended up SADLY with a word of woe. Not the way we like to get started on a sunny weekend, but we have to work with what we get. It was FALSE FRONT that made us a little nervous at the beginning, followed by RETRO, which might have been an improvement, but DAMN and SIN made everything even a bit more depressing. Well, for a second that pet lab coat of FUR looked like it may indeed be the start of a NEW BEGINNING--but followed by ALAS we were back into sad territory. That GRAND OPENING didn't save the sad concession of I LOST, which confirmed that the puzzle was a NON STARTER. So we shouldn't have been surprised that it ended with that word of woe, SADLY.
But we have a weekend coming up, and let's hope for lots of cheerfulness and joy in the puzzle area. We'd be ready for that, I'd say!
Have a happy weekend, everybody--and I wish that for you too, Rebecca and Rachel and Splynter. Cheers to all of you!
I have a few more additional comments I'd like to make, if that's okay.
Geogina, I loved the design of both your letter and that delightful envelope this morning. So cheerful and colorful, yet still simple and tidy. And your plans for helping friends and neighbors in your community are so kind. Finally, give Aja a loving pat for me.
Dear Mikkelsen and Sharfstein families: your photographs are a total delight. Loved seeing your smiling faces against all those interesting and delightful backgrounds in your neighborhood. Have a healthy and happy spring and summer coming up!
St. Joseph's Indian School: Thank you for continuing the wonderful work you've been doing for our community for such a long time. Those little children will grow up to be wonderful, good people with your blessing.
And I wish all of you a happy and healthy 2026!
Hitting on 16 is not recommended, nor is it prohibited. I only brought it up as a counterpoint to your assertion that "the only way anyone would BUST with three eights in a casino is if you split your first two eights..."etc.
I was merely pointing out that it's not the only way.
Casinos are filled with yahoos that have no idea how to play blackjack and can certainly make the ill-advised move of hitting a hard 16.
Which is why I choose my table-mates carefully or play the dealer one-on-one at times.
And what's up with this incessant fondness for obscure Indian food names? Why no Lebanese, Georgian, Latvian, Vietnamese [outside of Têt], or other foods...?
Or church: a cross placed out on a stand for veneration.
I gave up, then came back and finally caught on to the theme. Finished with one wrong cell.
Btw, HuskerGary, even tho I live in California now, I grew up in Arkansas!
Anon @ 3:46am: From Sunday's puzzle, a place for a cross is referring to a cross examination, which is on the witness STAND.
Anonymous @ 7:30 - if you play blackjack as if the dealer has a 10 as the down card, why would you split 8's against a 9 or 10 up? Assuming that they are dealing from a shoe with a minimum of 6 decks, unless you are hoping for a 2 or 3 and can double down, the odds are that you could get two 10's or even an Ace and have two losing hands
Thanks to Rebecca and Rachel! I liked your prefix theme idea! FAV was the "No reception" clue. I had fAce the consequences before DAMN.
Thanks to Splynter for the write-up! Your SINGLE ORIGIN explanation was very helpful. Cooper pics are always appreciated. Thanks, also for trying to revive my ANT I joke. I am happy to know that at least one person got it.
Thanks to the commenters for the Pittsburghese education.
Chairman Moe, I wouldn’t. No decent player would…not sure what in my comments prompted that question.
Pretty doable for a Friday, and a Goldstein Friday nat. Not much of a twurds fan either, but the solve did tickle my fun button.
ugly fill leads to . . . .
good question on the chevrons - I just looked for the ranks, period . . .
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