Today is Saturday. But it’s also Blursday. I just made up that day of the week, having woken up pretty sure that today was Friday. Today is my first Blursday since my in-house life began on March 14. Feel free to share the idea of Blursday, as long as you, too, do so while staying inside.
I found today’s Newsday Blursday Stumper, by Greg Johnson, a satisfying puzzle. Plenty of difficulty and novelty, but nothing strained or overly arch. I began solving with (what I think is) a giveaway: 19-A, six letters, “’40s actress in the Inventors Hall of Fame.” I would have made more of that first answer if I hadn’t misread the clue for 1-D, five letters, “Forster contemporary.” I was thinking of Stephen Foster and drawing a blank. Oh! Susanna.
Some clue-and-answer pairs I especially admire:
4-D, seven letters, “Water fitness class.” You were thinking exercise? I was. But the answer made me think of Boy Scout stuff, not that I ever was a Scout.
12-D, nine letters, “Freight hauler of old.” Now there’s an uncommon answer.
14-A, ten letters, “One of 13 in an Ultimate Dunking Set.” A nice bit of misdirection, and a smart way to repurpose a familiar bit of crosswordese.
27-A, twelve letters, “Accounts receivable, e.g.” I don’t know how I saw this answer so quickly. Not in my wheelhouse.
32-A, ten letters, “Kitchen remodeling tool.” Represent!
32-D, four letters, “Woman in hysterics.” Lately, there’s one such answer in every Stumper.
40-A, three letters, “Cutting-edge Lord of the Rings feature.” Must be some magical weapon, no? No.
60-A, ten letters, “What a thrift store CD player might say.” That seems to capture the ethos of every thrift store I’ve visited.
One clue that baffles me, even after getting the answer and looking online for an explanation: 48-A, four letters, “Name that sounds ‘mos’ reasonable.’” When a search for “mos reasonable” and the name turns up nothing but crossword-answer websites and random typos (“mos reasonable rates”), something’s not right. But I can’t say that this clue is strained or overly arch, because I have no idea what it means.
No spoilers: the answers are in the comments.
[Blursday is better than Blurday, no? I’ve gone back and forth, as you can see by comparing the post and its URL. And as I’ve discovered, other people thought of the name before I did. There is nothing new under the sun, as someone else also already thought of saying.]
Saturday, April 11, 2020
Today’s Blursday Stumper
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comments: 10
LAMARR. WOOLF.
POTABLE. I recall that Scouts and campers have kits to make water potable.
CONESTOGA. OREOCOOKIE. LIQUIDASSETS.
TILECUTTER. I used one on occasion when working with my dad.
TERI, as in hysTERIcs. Yes, I know the origin of the word hysteria, and I think this is an unfortunate clue.
CGI. NOTFORSALE.
LOIS. Can anyone explain this answer?
‘Sounds’ in cryptic crosswords, or as the English call them—crosswords, signifies a rhyming answer but LOIS is a pretty poor rhyme for ‘mos’. Or could it be “lo is” in opposition to “mo’ ‘s”? [low is and more is]
Steven
I got Hedy right away, but nothing else.
It's unfortunate that Teri Garr was associated with hysteria because of some of her screen roles. Or that hysteria is always paired with women, when more than a few men I've known behave hysterically.
We gave up on the NYT crossword last year. But on the advice of Rex Parker, subscribed to American Values Club Crossword. Most of them are clever, ranging from easy to difficult.
https://avxwords.com
Steven, your comment made me see what I think must be the explanation: most reasonable = lowest. And that connection I’d call strained and overly arch. And even if we’re talking price, what’s lowest isn’t necessarily most reasonable (a low bid might signal sketchiness). The quotation marks around “mos’ reasonable” had me wondering if the name was that of a character from vernacular American lit.
Martha, I think the clue is aiming only fir the name. Me, I’d think of Teri Garr as a great comic actress. But again, t think that clue is pretty poor.
Zhoen, I’ve read nothing but good things about American Values. I still feel that I have to do the Times, though I solve the six-weeks-later syndicated puzzle. If I can break away, I might add American Values.
Ugh, that LOIS clue is awful. Way too much of a strain. At least "Woman in hysterics" would no longer fool me.
The only clue that made me go "hmm" was 3 Down. "An historic"? That's some pretty fussy old time grammar there to use "an" instead of "a".
I didn’t notice the an while solving (no time!), but I’d agree. Garner’s Modern English Usage says that “such wordings . . . are likely to strike readers and listeners as affectations in need of editing.” But years ago I, too, would have written an out of a mistaken sense of correctness.
Having just completed the March 1 Times puzzle (syndicated), with the appalling answer NOLIKEY, I think I’m ready to abandon the Times and look into American Values.
+1 for Blursday™!
Thank you, Sean. It merits wide use.
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