Tag Archives: Will Nediger

NYT Crossword Puzzle 1-23-22 Turns of Phrase Complete (contains spoilers)

I pulled out 18A Scorpion, for one: ARACHNIDS because I hadn’t realized that scorpions are arachnids. I had thought that scorpions only have six legs.

From Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo.

But as is clear from this picture, scorpions have eight legs. Wow is that an ugly animal.

The title of this puzzle is Turns of Phrase.

21A Artists sketching pectorals?: DRAWERSOFCHESTS.
33A Vow to remain mum about hotel guests’ secrets?: HONOROFMAIDS.
52A Small distance covered by a naval armada?: FOOTOFFLEET.
73A Boxer lacking a left hook?: MANOFRIGHTS. Extra funny because man of right or mano frights?
89A What brass band music has?: PLENTYOFHORN.
107A Tree feature in winter?: ABSENCEOFLEAVES.
14D What a dog walker and a strong-willed pooch might vie for?: COMMANDOFCHAIN.
45D The Bee Gees’ Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb?: BROTHERSOFBAND.

It’s a turn of phrase of a turn of phrase. You gotta turn the turn of phrase around to get the turn of phrase we know to be the way the phrase is turned.

21A DRAWERSOFCHESTS -> CHESTS OF DRAWERS.
33A HONOROFMAIDES -> MAIDS OF HONOR.
52A FOOTOFFLEET -> FLEET OF FOOT.
73A MANOFRIGHTS -> RIGHTS OF MAN.
89A PLENTYOFHORN -> HORN OF PLENTY (CORNUCOPIA).
107A ABSENCEOFLEAVES -> LEAVES OF ABSENCE.
14D COMMANDOFCHAIN -> CHAIN OF COMMAND.
45D BROTHERSOFBAND -> BAND OF BROTHERS.

Finished this one in 33:57.

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 12-2-20 Complete

A Wednesday with a few errors but completed before going to bed. I oil my butcher block cutting boards on the first of each month, so I took the time to complete this after playing board games remotely with friends and the block oil was soaking in.

I pulled out 62A Vegas casino beside the Bellagio: ARIA because it’s about time they gave another clue for ARIA. I know they do that from time to time, but it’s a chance for me to voice that thoughts of Vegas are a nice change of pace, and anyone who knows me knows how infrequently I feel that.

17A Classic 1960 platinum-selling Miles Davis album: SKETCHESOFPAIN
This one was holding me back awhile. I had it in as SKETCHEROFPAIN, which would have been fine for the clue Uncomfortable platform for a Miles Davis album?
29A Small stones used for driveways: PEAGRAVEL
43A Spirit of the age: ZEITGEIST
55A “Like … now!”: RIGHTTHISSECOND

60A Type of food whose outsides are suggested by the outsides of 17-, 29-, 43- and 55-Across: FRUIT
17A SKETCHESOFPAIN->SKIN
29A PEAGRAVEL->PEEL
43A ZEITGEIST->ZEST
55A RIGHTTHISSECOND->RIND

Not so bad.

Took me 16:10 to get this one right, and my butcher block cutting boards are looking great.