Caribbean island nation south of Martinique / MON 4-14-14 / Famous debate words from Reagan to Carter / Endorsement from Tony Tiger / Churchill's description of the Royal Air Force during W.W. II /

Monday, April 14, 2014

Constructor: Gareth Bain

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (I have no idea; I solved on paper because stupid .puz file was "corrupt," and can't really gauge Monday "difficulty" when I solve on paper … beyond "yeah, it's Monday, so of course it's easy…")



THEME: THAIR???  — homophones??? Is that it? I guess so.

Theme answers:
  • "THERE YOU GO AGAIN" (17A: Famous debate words from Reagan to Carter)
  • THEIR FINEST HOUR (37A: Churchill's description of the Royal Air Force during W.W. II)
  • "THEY'RE GRRRRREAT!" (58A: Endorsement from Tony the Tiger) (this spelling is either arbitrary or inaccurate. The cereal boxes I'm seeing have three "R"s. If you go with five "R"s, you should have some basis for doing so … perhaps there is one, but I have no idea what it is)
Word of the Day: ST. LUCIA (49A: Caribbean island nation south of Martinique) —
Saint Lucia Listeni/snt ˈlʃə/ (FrenchSainte-Lucie) is a sovereign island country in the eastern Caribbean Seaon the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 617 km2(238.23 sq mi) and has a population of 174,000 (2010). Its capital is Castries. (wikipedia)
• • •

I had to ask around about what the theme was because I couldn't believe it was just THERE / THEIR / THEY'RE, a concept so slight I can't believe it made the grade. Taken on their own, the theme answers vary in quality. Taken together as a theme … well, that's more USA Today-level stuff. Now, Gareth generally builds beautiful puzzles, and this one is more than solid, fill-wise—bit heavy on the short ordinary stuff, light on the longer interesting stuff, but in no way lazy or tiresome. Still, this puzzle has that first theme answer and not a lot else to recommend it. I have to call b.s. on that last theme answer. You can't just add "R"s to suit your fancy. This seems to be a case of "if wikipedia says it, it must be true." But the expression is in print enough that the three-R version should be taken as the established spelling. Picky? Yes. But accurate is accurate and verifiable is verifiable and made-up is made-up.


Gotta go eat and then make Tom Collinseseses because "Mad Men."

See you tomorrow.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

68 comments:

Mark 12:02 AM  

There sure is a lot of "April Love" this April. I think maybe it was written by Sammy Fain :)

Anonymous 12:06 AM  

Doesn't feel professionally made to me. Just three theme answers, only 76 words, and yet entries like ASEA, OBIS, THRO, AGRA, RIC, LEGREE(???), AERO, ALOU, EER, ISIS and OXEYES still made it through.

Surely it wouldn't have been difficult to add some long Downs and clean up the fill overall? FOODIE is the best answer in this puzzle.

jae 12:07 AM  

Easy-medium for me too and I always solve on paper. (I time myself with a watch on Mon. & Tues.  and just do the puzzle the rest of the week).  Straight forward theme with some nice quotes, smooth grid, liked it.

RIC and  and OXEYE seem a little tough for Mon.   RIC I know from paying attention in the 80's and Colbert, OXEYE is crossword only knowledge.

So, Rex has a good point.  Is the the official R count for Tony 5?

Steve J 1:11 AM  

Very easy here, even by Monday standards.

Agreed that the theme's a bit threadbare, and that THERE YOU GO AGAIN was the best bit. Also agreed that the extra R's in THEY'RE GRRRRREAT are bothersome and a real stretch (pun partially intended). Kellogg's uses 3 R's, and looking at packaging throughout the years, they've always used 3 R's since the slogan was introduced in the '50s. It'd be one thing if the phrase were only uttered verbally, but it's been printed on the box a particular way for 50-plus years. I'm of the opinion you can't just change it to suit your purposes when it's been consistently used one way.

Setting that aside, the fill was solid and clean. Even stuff that may be a little harder for a Monday, like OXEYE, was fairly crossed. There were a couple bits of well-worn crosswordese, but it was minimal and didn't get in the way. Liked PAYOLA, FOODIE, LUGER.

Can someone please tell Will that there are other songs in the world? We're not even halfway through the month, and we're already on at least our third "April Love" reference.

retired_chemist 1:54 AM  

Had the corrupt AL file problem and thus had to solve in an unfamiliar mode. It went a little slowly compared to how the answers felt, but I give it an easy-medium, leaning toward easy. When AL came back (about 8 CDT I think) I resolved, obviously knowing the answers, and my time was 3:11. That is, I think, a measure of how fast I can do the mechanics of AL. My hat is off to those who solve faster than that.

Good fill with a thin theme. Don;t much care about themes anyway so I liked the puzzle. Had pinE for 64A - easily fixed. AGE???? for 53A solved with a couple of crosses. Theme answers - 17A went in without a cross, was pretty sure of 37A but ran a few crosses to be sure before putting it in, and figured the constructor was using poetic license or the crossword equivalent to get the five Rs in 58A.

So, good job, Gareth. Thanks.

chefwen 2:59 AM  

Had the same problem with Across Lite and panicked, which I am known to do. Tried to solve on my ipad, WOW, talk about a mind switch. Got it done, but it wasn't easy. I think I'll stick to pen and paper. We "old folk" are difficult to upgrade.

Easy puzzle and the ipad thingy was a learning experience. All Good.

GILL I. 6:09 AM  

Well I thought this was just plain old fun.
Reminded me of when our son was about 7 or so. I used to dread going down the cereal aisle with him. He would screech THEY'RE GRRRRRREAT (feel free to add a few more R's) at the top of his lungs and make a beeline to the middle lower shelf where Tony the Tiger would beckon.
Fun, easy peasy Monday and I love any reference to April Love....

Danp 6:17 AM  

How is this theme any better or worse than last week's "CH" theme? I say they both belong in Nickelodean magazine.

The most interesting thing about "There you go again" is that the quote is more famous than the context. Carter was accusing Reagan of campaigning against Medicare and opposing any kind of National health insurance proposal. Reagan's quote was merely the beginning of an insincere denial.

jberg 7:10 AM  

If the clue had called for a "hyperbolic endorsement from Tony," I'd be OK with it. Only three theme answers, but all of them 15s, also OK. And all phrases that are so familiar that I didn't really feel the need to count the letters before starting to write them in. So, hey, it's a Monday.

@JAE, OXEYE is more a gardening-only word than crossword-only; and there are an awful lot of gardeners.

Glimmerglass 7:30 AM  

The official authorized incontestable number of Rs in GRRRRREAT is five (5). This was established by the United States senate in 1985 and has been supported by religious leaders around the world. You could look it up. Of all the things to gripe about, this may be the silliest.

joho 7:35 AM  

I thought is was really funny to throw Tony the Tiger in with Reagan (Carter) and Churchill. I like Gareth's puzzles because he often throws in a bit of whimsy -- this one included with Tony's famous cereal box line. (I wonder if the others were standing on soap boxes when delivering THEIR lines?)

It could matter less to me how many RRRRR's spell THEYREGRRRRREAT! because I always pronounce it with a least 5 ... maybe more!

Hey, @Rex, your review could have been "There's no there there." I don't agree, though.

Nice start to the week!

Arlene 7:46 AM  

Easy puzzle for me - the fastest I can do, which is 7 minutes using pen and paper. I thought RRRRR was GRRRRREAT - and a wink at all of us from the puzzle constructor. A touch of crossword humor there, if you're in the mood to appreciate it.

Loren Muse Smith 7:55 AM  

Aw, c'mon – a grammar lesson and a puzzle to boot? What not to like? It never occurred to me that there was an accepted number of Rs for Tony's quote. So is there an accepted number of Ks for KKKKaty and an accepted number of THs for "Th Th Th That's all, folks!"? I think Gareth tackled MM GOOD a while back – how many Ms in that? In my margin, the only comments I had were ANTE, BUY IN, PAIR, and CHIP. Has Gareth taken up poker? LUGE and LUGER – as in "my dream is to be an Olympic LUGER."

And "thar she blows." I wonder if he considered four themers 12, 15, 15, 12?

THAR SHE BLOWS
THERE YOU GO AGAIN
THEIR FINEST HOUR
THEY'RE BAAACK

Nah. That first one isn't really separate from the second one.

These three, THERE, THEIR, THEY'RE, there so tough when your writing fast. If I'm not careful, I blow it, to. Funny how that works.

OBESE crossing REESE. I'm on this kick of buying candy to pack in my lunch for school. I can't stay out of those damned REESE's Pieces. Reminds me, I need to phone home.

GLOOM over RUMBA – that was always my worst dance. My RUMBA was downright creepy.

Gareth – yeah! I'm going to keep this one in my arsenal of stuff for students to do after they've finished other work. Perfect Monday fare!

AliasZ 8:04 AM  


These are rhetorical questions, no need to reply:

- Mondays ARE supposed to be easy, so why do so many solvers act surprised when they are? I don't get it.

- What's wrong with only three theme answers if all of them span the grid? True, if THERE were two more that included THE HEIR and THE ERRor, THEIR presence would have cleared THE AIR. THEY'RE all very similar, if not identical, in the way they sound in normal every-day speech. But calling three 15's on a Monday "thin" is a little unfair.

I liked LUGE and LUGER, REESE's pieces, TRADER Joe, the FOODIE, PAYOLA and OXEYES.

I think Gareth Bain has been WRONGED. I for one liked his clean work, devoid of too many threes (only six), partials and pluralized proper names.

Is anyone old enough to remember this little gem: MARINA, MARINA, MARINA?

Happy earworms!

Unknown 8:14 AM  

Fun and easy. I liked all of the RRRRRs, but if the documented phrase only has 3 then Rex has a valid point.

Hartley70 8:23 AM  

I just liked it! Perfect Monday difficulty level. Payola and foodie made me happy...an all around pleasure that ends too soon.

Beaglelover 8:28 AM  

I had no problem with this puzzle except for the poker clues. i only got them from the cross clues. i liked the puzzle.

Z 8:29 AM  

Ah, I pine for the days when Zombies wore neck ties.

My only complaint is that @Gareth ruined my day by starting it off with Reagan. If THERE is a better example of "The bigger the humbug, the better the people will like it," (PT Barnum, maybe) I have yet to find it. I was still a republican back then, and still found the man detestable. I think I spent the entire decade shaking my head at people who believed his twaddle.

Does April Love lead to May-December romances? Or are those romances what happen on the rebound from April Love? Enquiring minds want to know. OLGA wants to do the RUMBA, but has to choose between ADAM, the ALOU brothers, Pat BOONE, or ARNIE Palmer. Decisions, decisions.

7 minutes - 6 is my tops so easy/medium is about right.

chefbea 8:34 AM  

What a grrrrreat puzzle for us Foodies...pared, grapes,chips, frosted flakes!!!

Loved it and was sooooooo easy

Ludyjynn 8:37 AM  

Sounds like some people got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning...whine, whine, whine. Would you care for some cheese with that, Rex? This was a perfectly fine Monday, easy and breezy.

It was amusing for me to see my comment from two weeks ago smack dab in the theme. For those of you who missed it, I reminded @AnonymousObamaHater of the Reagan quote at 17Across. You can see the pertinent part of the Carter debate on YouTube. It is fascinating that in politics, decades later, it is the same @#$%!, different day.

Don't forget to leave the door open for Elijah, tonight. Happy Passover.

OldCarFudd 8:38 AM  

When I was contemplating buying a smart phone, I asked my stepson-in-law to show me his iPhone 5. He was demonstrating how he could dictate a message to Siri and have her type it. I asked what Siri did about homonyms, and he said he didn't know. So I dictated: "Their cars aren't there. They're here." And Siri got it right! So I bought an iPhone 5.

Dorothy Biggs 8:42 AM  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-aQViegBKQ

There, there...(Malty and Shire's take on the matter)

dk 8:50 AM  

🌕🌕(2 Moons)

Cue Mamas and Papas Monday, Monday.

And, I will take a little Humboldt Fog on a baguette, with some pears or fresh figs please and thank you. And, a small Ripasso. Grazie Ludyjynn

Whacker 9:02 AM  

In the FWIW department Their Finest Hour refers to the few weeks in the summer and fall of 1940 .. The Battle of Britain.

Anonymous 9:17 AM  

Did anyone else try "COCK N BALLS" for 13-Down?

mac 9:39 AM  

Nice, easy Monday, with a last theme answer that threw me for a loop. Never had a box in my house, but it was neat to see the line of Rs growing in the grid.

There'll be a blood moon tonight, hope it will be clear enough to see.

Yes, Marina will be in my head all day.

Dawn 9:49 AM  

Ipad app not working. Had to delete puzzle app and then download it all over again. Not happy. It erased my past records on the blue dot calendar! And will I get charged twice??

10:55 was my time. Found it easy. Yes April Love again...haha.

Churchill...ya gotta love him. Bought that very same ebook last week.

quilter1 9:50 AM  

This was fine. I liked it and did most of it with downs only. I got excited when the R's started lining up and I knew my answers were all correct. What's this going to be, I thought. Then looked at that last theme clue and laughed out loud. Maybe I am easily AMUSEd. Thanks, Gareth.

Moly Shu 9:56 AM  

Breezed right through this while playing poker last night. Unfortunately my puzzle solving skills bested my poker skills. Serendipitous none the less. Point taken on the RRRRR's, doesn't bother me though. rUGER before LUGER, only write over. Liked it.

@AliasZ, I ask myself your first question every Monday. Rhetorically, of course

Unknown 10:06 AM  

I'd have preferred [Gourmands] for the FOODIE clue. What does the gourmet think? @chefbea?

Mrs. Kid and I do our best @Mohair Sam-style couples solving on Sunday nights. We had a few hold ups at STLUCIA AGEGAPS & RIC but all resolved fine. She pulled out LEGREE and DECREE from first letters. Keeper.

Carola 10:08 AM  

I found it a perfect Monday - light-hearted and easy. I thought the homonym theme was inspired - three 15-letter phrases, all well known...terrrrrrific in my book. "Endorsement fromTony the Tiger" after Churchill's "endorsement" of the RAF made laugh.

jae 10:27 AM  

@jberg -- What I meant is that I only know OXEYE from doing crosswords. Sorry for the confusion.

Anonymous 10:28 AM  

Nitpicking but the grammatical inconsistency of "Their finest hour" bugs me. It's not a description of the Royal Air Force, is it? It's a description of their response to pressure and their bravery.

mathguy 10:29 AM  

Just to get an idea of how fast some of you are, I timed myself this morning. I print the puzzle out and do it in pen. It took me nine minutes with only two or three momentary hitches.

Bob Kerfuffle 10:32 AM  

Amen.

Bea 10:37 AM  

-fan of 'payola' and 'luger'. 'Oxeye' made me almost shed a tear.

Anonymous 10:37 AM  

Crossword puzzles are confusing to me and seldom can I get all the way to friday! So pardon me but gourmet is quality of something, as in "gourmet food". A gourmand is a foodie.

I only learned to do easy ones when I was stuck on the subway atrush hour. I had 4 consecutive daily news' and plodded through in order of issue ans looking up the answers. It took 3 weeks worth to "get it".

I hope one day to do a NYT Sunday puzzle.

Some Sundays I get the middle then 4 corners, then I line the bird cage or make paper mache voodo dolls, of all those people who can do it!

Yes I suffer from low solve count, and basic verbiage difficencies. It does not make it any easierthat I don't know opera or sports

So a question please, is there asite that explains the answers?

Some answers require a though pattern to be able to solve them. Usually I get that, but sometimes not.

for 99.9999% of the people who come here this is alien, but to me it would be helpful.

keep those brainstems in theta.

sparkie

evil doug 10:41 AM  

That speech was given in anticipation of the Battle of Britain, in June of 1940, and was somewhat general in its scope:

"Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duty and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say: This was their finest hour.”

The real tribute to the RAF came after the two-month engagement:

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

Evil

Numinous 10:51 AM  

Did it in 7:23 on the iPad but had a typo. I wasted a whole minute finding Pat BuONE.

Watching a cardinal hop from branch to branch on the Georgia pines outside my window.

@Casco, I think gourmand is a great word.

@All of them who finished this one in record time: this was THEIR FINEST HOUR!

@Rex and pedantry: THERE YOU GO AGAIN. I could care less how many Rs there R because THEYRE grrrRRRREAT!

Bob Kerfuffle 10:52 AM  

@sparkie (Anonymous 10:37 AM) -

I have consistently suggested that for a brief explanation of every clue/answer every day, you should go to WEB's New York Times Crossword Solution @ NYTCrossword.com.

For example, a quick look at today's post shows an expanded answer detailing the point @Evil Doug makes above.

Ellen S 11:09 AM  

@Bob Kerfuffle, haha, I thought THIS was the site! Not only do you get an explanation of the answer, but sometimes multiple explanations and arguments on top.

@Sparkie, just keep trying and it should get easier. But I have to tell you I have been solving NYT puzzles for many years and usually I can do the whole week. Somehow I can figure out the mindset of the constructor, different constructors, and even different editors going back to Maleska. But what I have found is I usually cannot do the Dell crossword puzzles. I don't know if they still exist. I gave up after my husband died, because he could do them and I just can't.

Steve J 12:09 PM  

@sparkie: I'd also recommend finding a copy of Amy Reynaldo's "How to Conquer the New York Times Crossword Puzzle: Tips, Tricks and Techniques to Master America's Favorite Puzzle" (you'll probably need to get a used copy, as it looks to be out of print, and new copies are absurdly expensive. She talks a lot about recurring patterns, provides lists of common words, etc. If found it quite helpful a few years ago when the furthest I'd venture into the week was Wednesday or Thursday.

chefbea 12:36 PM  

@Casco..this foodie agrees with you. Gourmand would have been much better. As @Sparkie said..gourmet is a kind of food. Welcome to Rexville @Sparkie

Masked and Anonymo5Us Thar 12:39 PM  

Yo--As an amateur constructioneer, I can definitely get behind this draw out the word with extra letters concept. This could help m&e fill some of my 50 (or so) unfinished runtpuz grids. Mightt eeven bee aa cooll theeme iddea... grrrrroovy.

THAR seems like a perfectly good fourth themer seed(hi, @muse). Tommy THAYER should be ok, too. Lead guitar of Kiss ain't too obscure, surely?

I would rate this MonPuz as pretty easy, mainly because the themers were all so easy to get off next to nothin. 45 themer letters should be plenty for any MonPuz enthusiast, except maybe for Tommy Thayer. On the other hand, only six weejects to choose from, which might make things slightly harder for a beginner, who depends on em for entry points into the grid. Back to on the original hand, tho... "Eve's mate" in 4 letters is tryin pretty day-um hard to get everybody "in", upfront.

Good MonPuz, @Gareth. Suitable to put in yer waitin room at the vet clinic. Maybe could just whip up an alternate version, whenever Kiss is doin a gig nearby.

M&A

p.s.
Themeless alternative below. 100% certified to not contain any THARs. Does do some scrabble-twerkin, tho...
www.xwordinfo.com/Solve?id=1762&id2=912

Graham Kerr 12:39 PM  

I didn't know my nickname was the Galloping Gourmand???

Lewis 1:03 PM  

I wanted to whine about Rex's GRRREAT whine (I heard it through the grrreatwhine?), but, dammit, I looked at the images of many Frosted Flakes boxes which all have the three "ars", and read the Wikipedia article which has every mention of the phrase with three ars, and had to conclude that this was the established way of spelling this phrase. So if liberties were to be taken with it, it should have come out in the clue, as someone before mentioned. Maybe, "Extra enthusiastic endorsement from Tony the Tiger"?

Otherwise, this puzzle was clean as a whistle, with only four pure crosswordese answers, by my count. And it was fun. I loved all three theme answers and thought the theme was plenty adequate for Monday, and that this was a terrific puzzle for newcomers.

ERIE above WORM makes me think of earworm, maybe, April Love?

Acme, Acme, come back!

allan 1:14 PM  

I alwaysjudge the relative difficulty of a puzzle by two things; How many down clues i have to look at to finish, and how many times I have to go through the coles to finish. I never time myself, because I enjoy the solve, not the speed.

@Rex. Shouldn't we be used to Shortz accepting made up stuff by now? These type of answers appear so often now. Look at all the e words we see referring to the web (wasn't it just yesterday we got ebanks)?

@sparkle. I think you can also feel free to ask here if you don't get something. Look at how many responses you got to your question.

Lewis 1:17 PM  

M&A -- 8 minutes; I'm getting hooked on your runts. Keep 'em going.

Bob Kerfuffle 1:21 PM  

@M&A - KIDDIE POOL THEMELESS #14 by M and A 8:53, No help.

Re your comment above, "Eve's mate" could be MORN.

Maybe I spend too much time thinking of alternatives!

Anonymous 2:02 PM  

The simplicity of this puzzle matched that of its artisans.
The Churchill quote was NOT about the RAF ..it was about England's determination etc.
The RAF line is "Never have so many owed so much to so few."
No excuse for errors that egregious, even in a Monday puzzle.

M and Also 2:11 PM  

@BobK: yep. "Eve's mate" is, indeed, not airtight enough, for the coveted guaranteed entrypoint. Wrong again, M&AB. It's just not as solid as what we need, thar. Some other improved clue suggestions, thayer, maybe...

* Eve's main squeeze (contemporary)
* ___ and Eve (very little wiggle room)
* Eden exile (common startin letters)
* Enos's Grrrrrandfather (too harrrrrd, but mighta been @Garrrrreth's first choice)
* He raised Cain (humorous)
* Sistine Chapel plastered dude (cultural)
* Guy in a garden with no parental supervision (kinda wordy)
* Backward M&A DA?? (personal fave)

@Lewis: Usually runtpuzs are non-addictive, unless U smoke em, afterwards. Use caution, they're.

M&A
"Service with a Harrrrr"

Anonymous 2:40 PM  

Churchill quote did not refer to the RAF but to "the British Empire and its Commonwrslth."

Benko 2:40 PM  

@M&A: Slightly slower on this one. Took 1:02. Would have been under a minute but got thrown for a moment by 4-Down. Forgot who I was dealing with! Anyway, good puzz.

evil doug 2:48 PM  

"Commonwrslth"? Well, he was known to drink a little....

Read the previous comments. I think we've got it covered.

Evil

Bob Kerfuffle 3:10 PM  

@M&A - LOL!

Can't match your style, but you could re-work these:

Dude with neither an innie nor an outie.

Fellow imagined by Michelangelo as trying to give a finger to God.

One whose ale is all H2O.

Or to be really mean: Came between 1 and 12 in fictional radio call sign.

Benko 3:51 PM  

Cryptic style Adam?
West Russian "yes" in the morning
Or
Heroic ant commercial before morning

Unknown 4:12 PM  

This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak I've made to my method. In a nutshell, the higher the ratio, the higher this week's median solve time is relative to the average for the corresponding day of the week.

All solvers (this week's median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)

Mon 5:45, 6:04, 0.95, 25%, Easy-Medium

Top 100 solvers

Mon 3:47, 3:58, 0.95, 22%, Easy-Medium

Blue Stater 4:27 PM  

"[A]ccurate is accurate and verifiable is verifiable and made-up is made-up."

Maybe so, but not in WS-world.

Last Silver Bull Woot 4:44 PM  

@BobK and Benko: har. And whoa. If the New Shortz Times MonPuz ever opens up with one of them thar 1-Across clues, my runtpuzs will start gettin more bounce-over bizness.

I find that when the 1-Across clue somehow has the word "cow" worked into the verbage, it really reassures the beginner-level solver crowd. Example: "Apt name for a bull who mates regular with a cow called Eve". See what I mean? Instantly calming, somehow. Bucolic, if U will.

Anyhoo, honored that I pushed Benko over the one minute mark, and BobK over the three minute mark, if only for just this one time. Took a JKXZQ puz to do it, tho... day-um.

M&A
"Thar's Yer Crossword Trouble"

John V 4:50 PM  

Bob,

Had not known that site. Thanks!

John

jae 7:24 PM  

@M&A

________ hadem. (Poetic)

World's Shortest Poet 7:44 PM  

@jae - Very poetic:

"Lines on the Antiquity of Microbes" (world's shortest poem)

Fleas:
Adam
Had 'em.

sanfranman59 10:00 PM  

This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 8/1/2009 post for an explanation and my 10/15/2012 post for an explanation of a tweak I've made to my method. In a nutshell, the higher the ratio, the higher this week's median solve time is relative to the average for the corresponding day of the week.

All solvers (this week's median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)

Mon 5:45, 6:04, 0.95, 25%, Easy-Medium

Top 100 solvers

Mon 3:42, 3:58, 0.93, 17%, Easy

Anonymous 3:09 PM  

Many thanks ti kerfuffle and steve j.

I will look for the book mentioned. I have noticed the different constructors and editors matter. I would make apoor crytographer.

it took me a long time to find my way back here. On a standard computer it would have been a matter of a few key strokes, but I am using a tablet and it has no key board added to my inability to type, (and sometimes spell), going back to fix a mistake is a horror story for me.

If I didn't want to at least try to do this puzzle I would not endure this tablet of death!

And yes I would like a little cheese with my whine.

aaarrrggghhhh

And now another silly question, why don't they indicate 2 OR 3 words, in a puzzle. Stanley Newman responded, they do not have space in the paper.

I fear I have wasted 12 years of cat lick school, the brothers and nuns would be furious I think'st.

Again, thanks I will keep that website bookmarked, and will look for a copy of the said sacred book of knowlege, a gnostic's bible if I may say.

I will now go into trance and expand my consciousness and attempt to become one with a thesaurus.

cioa

sparkie

spacecraft 10:10 AM  

58a reminds me of The Man With Two Brains, Dr. Hoffharrrrr. I don't really care how many R's; I'll take the chuckle and let it go. I don't know if you can call a theme "thin" with three 15s. It IS a good one for English classes. I am appalled at the frequency of misuse of "there" in IM's, texts and emails. Once on a bus--a public bus!!--I saw this sign:

PATRONS ARE ASKED TO GIVE UP THERE SEAT TO THE ELDERLY AND INFIRM.

Needless to say, I threw the spacecraft flag.

Nice one, Dr. Bain--and I even learned a new thing: OXEYES. And I worked in the flower industry!

Sheesh: eight cards and I can't even muster a straight! 2 pair and out.

DMG 2:28 PM  

ADAM seemed so obvious I wrote it in lightly, so I could easily correct it when I figured out what was really wanted. Another Eve (Arden?), a time of day... ? Guess I'm too scared from the Fri/Sat workouts to accept the obvious!

At any rate, liked the puzzle, RRRS and all, and enjoyed the comments. Note to @M&A you start my days with a happy face! Many thanks for all the smiles!!!

Full house, 5's and 3's.

Solving in Seattle 4:54 PM  

Of the RAF, Churchill also said: "Never have so few done so much for so many with so little."

Liked this monpuz, Gareth, thanks.

@DMG, totally agree with you about M&A. How would you like to get inside his head for a minute, sorta like the Vulcan brain meld thingy? I'll bet he was raised on Mad Mag.

Two pair. Fold.

Dirigonzo 8:17 PM  

Count me in the "loved it" camp, but really - what is it with the "April Love" obsession? That can't be coincidence, can it?

Same as @SiS - two PAIR and out.

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