Tag Archives: Brooke Husic

NYT Crossword Puzzle 11-6-21 Complete (contains spoilers)

I pulled out 14D Amounts from a distillery, maybe: BARRELFULS because I’ve seen whisky by the barrelful when I went to Islay back in 2019. And since then I’ve been interested in the limited edition Laphroiag Cairdeas batches that I hadn’t known existed. I’m excited that I finally was able to order a bottle of the 2021 Cairdeas PX. I can’t wait to try it.

No theme in this one, but it was one of those triple stackers or whatever that had the full width answers in the middle.

Finished this one in 25:10.

DayThis WkBestAverage4-Wk AvgStreak
Monday5:253:499:215:3481
Tuesday13:135:2213:1110:315
Wednesday13:597:3816:5613:2822
Thursday20:2812:1227:5819:188
Friday26:1210:2930:0218:4522
Saturday25:1020:1131:3623:0422
Sunday15:1151:5736:418

NYT Crossword Puzzle 8-30-21 Complete (contains spoilers)

I pulled out 53A Jose _ (tequila brand): CUERVO because I was taught in college that good tequila is 100% agave, and Cuervo just says that it’s made with agave, but there’s no disclosure as to how much agave. And if it were 100%, I imagine they wouldn’t hide that.

This puzzle’s theme was probably sponsored by:

18A Doesn’t have fortitude: LACKSHEART.
23A Home of the University of Kentucky: LEXINGTON.
36A Finishes eating ice cream or soup, say: LICKSTHESPOON.
51A Rescuer for when you’ve lost your key: LOCKSMITH.
56A Tiny neighbor of France: LUXEMBOURG.

Finished this one in 8:08.

DayThis WkBestAverage4-Wk AvgStreak
Monday8:083:499:278:2772
Tuesday5:2213:2312:2514
Wednesday7:3817:1811:3412
Thursday12:1228:5726:2012
Friday16:2333:5028:1812
Saturday27:4334:2234:4912
Sunday15:1154:5844:301

NYT Crossword Puzzle 7-31-21 Complete (contains spoilers)

I pulled out 49A Operation that yields the remainder from dividing two numbers, in math lingo: MOD because it’s not just math lingo but programming lingo. An early, early thing they teach in Python is modulo (mod), and the symbol for it, %. So 7 % 2 (seven mod two) is 1 because its 3 remainder 1, and all we care about is the remainder.

There was no theme for this puzzle.

20A Specs for a modiste: DRESSSIZES. A fashionable milliner or dressmaker.
32A “Wow, that’s wild!”: WHATATRIP.
47A Most times: ORDINARILY.

Finished this one in 34:23.

DayThis WkBestAverage4-Wk AvgStreak
Monday7:013:499:288:2067
Tuesday7:515:2213:4012:3810
Wednesday29:357:3817:3617:198
Thursday31:1012:1229:1927:308
Friday30:4216:2334:4630:468
Saturday34:2327:4334:0833:238
Sunday15:1156:4742:247

NYT Crossword Puzzle 7-2-21 Complete (contains spoilers)

Friday puzzles used to be so scary! And clues with answers that span the entire grid contributed to that. Now with a streak of 26 days, it’s random Tuesdays that are the real monsters. And sometimes Thursdays. And Sundays.

I pulled out 13A Northernmost land in the Inner Hebrides: ISLEOFSKYE because I got that answer immediately, and I’m proud of that. Now for a story from almost exactly two years ago. I was sitting in the bar area of the Laphroaig distillery on Islay, and there was a random other American there who was on a trip. He told me that he and his wife were going to go to the Isle of Skye next. I said, “Oh! Are you going to go to Talisker?” He asked if he should. I said yeah but that he should ask the bartender for his opinion. So he then told the bartender that he was going to the Isle of Skye. The bartender’s response: “Oh! Are you going to Talisker?” He concluded that he should. I hope he did and had a good time.

And on the topic of things in the UK, 52A Like some headphones: NOISECANCELLING? NOISECANCELING, sure, but NOISECANCELLING? Wrong side of the pond, Will Shortz.

Other clues also had full-grid answers.

17A Cut-and-paste tool for language learners: GOOGLETRANSLATE.
26A What a fitness coach likely leads: ACTIVELIFESTYLE.
41A In-N-Out Burger’s “Animal Style” burgers and fries, e.g.: SECRETMENUITEMS. I had tried ONTHESECRETMENU, which worked with 39D Mostaccioli relative: PENNE and 10D. Ultimately, I corrected it.
10D Out of the ordinary: REALLYSOMETHING.
3D Well overdue: ALONGTIMECOMING.

Finished this one in 30:39.

DayThis WkBestAverage
Monday13:263:499:30
Tuesday22:305:5213:46
Wednesday14:457:3817:36
Thursday16:2913:0929:54
Friday30:3916:2335:42
Saturday27:4337:21
Sunday15:111:00:17

NYT Crossword Puzzle 6-12-21 Complete

Argh! I excitedly hit the thing too early, and the finish screen went away! But I finished a Saturday, and it said I’m on a one-day streak, despite it actually being a six-day streak. See, it’s 10pm here in LA, so it’s tomorrow already in New York. For streak purposes, it’s still Saturday in LA, so tomorrow should show a seven-day streak if I solve the Sunday puzzle. I got a more generic image, but at least it shows that it’s a six-day streak.

I pulled out 32A Fragrant rice: BASMATI because it’s pretty much the only rice I buy. Do I sometimes want short grain rice? Maybe. Do I find Basmati rice to be fragrant? Not really. Do I wash Basmati rice three times like it says to? Oh absolutely not. I just know it’s fragrant rice because it says so on the bag.

I was really hoping for a theme in this one, but it doesn’t have one. I had thought that 6A Stick around on July 4?: SPARKLER would be FCRACKER or something fun like that so I’d know that letters were missing. IRE is a word. But no such luck.

Finished this one in 37:43. That’s actually my only Saturday score. I used to do the Saturday crossword with friends Tuesday nights. We just started doing board games in person again after more than a year online for covid safety, but we haven’t done the Saturday crossword together in a while. When we do it together it takes like six minutes. Alone is slower.

OK now off to the Spelling Bee!