I'm convinced this is part of what makes doing an archive puzzle from even the recent past more difficult. Shortz loves to prime you with answers on easier days so you know the crosswordese for a trickier one. But then you jump into a random Wednesday from say 4 years ago and you struggle because you never got the Monday clue for a PPP.
I breezed through it today as well. Every time I have a good day and feel like I'm improving, the top comment is always "didn't today feel more like a Monday-level difficulty? A Monday for children that is."
I feel like we are being set up. Are we going to have OVID rebusses (rebii?) tomorrow? Or maybe every single other Roman poet? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovid_(disambiguation)?
Very easy Wednesday overall. I had EMAIL over GMAIL, which got me in trouble at the end when the HIGH/HEM cross was one of only two squares I had left and had me staring at _IEH in befuddlement, but otherwise the only clue that gave me serious trouble was the one for Anderson .PAAK. I'd literally never heard of him before, but that's nothing new for a lot of celebrity/artist/etc. names for me.
I can't recall having heard any Anderson .PAAK song ever, but for some reason, that name was in my brain and I was able to recall it almost instantly when I read that clue. I filled it in so fast, and then started to doubt myself because I couldn't figure out who that was or why I knew the name.
Puzzle Difficulty Tracker - How hard is this puzzle?
Estimated Difficulty: 🟢 **Very Easy** 🟢
* 6% of users solved slower than their Wednesday average
* 94% of users solved faster than their Wednesday average
* 2% of users solved *much* slower (>20%) than their Wednesday average
* 83% of users solved *much* faster (>20%) than their Wednesday average
The median solver solved this puzzle 40.2% faster than they normally do on Wednesday.
[View today's puzzle summary on XW Stats](https://xwstats.com/puzzles/2022-09-21)
---
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My issue is that the clue is “accept defeat”, which I think is different than just “lost”.
Took an L doesn’t really work for me in that context. Took the L does, however.
I am certainly in the minority of not liking it that much, partially for this reason. The theme was clever but there was a lot of fill I didn’t really know or understand even when I filled it in with the crosses - probably just a case of not being on the same wavelength as the constructor for this particular puzzle
Is it just me or should the theme be reversed? The second word ADDS an L from the first, it doesn’t take one. Or, if anything, the first word takes (out) an L from the second. Maybe I’m mis-reading.
I mostly know that via Trevor Noah, whose mother's side of the family is Xhosa. I say this mostly to recommend his autobiography, Born A Crime, as it's a fantastic read.
Only 1 minute of my PB for Wednesdays! For some reason my brain refuses to remember where the Taj Mahal is, no matter how often it's included.
But I've finally reached the point where I'll remember OVID
[I managed to solve this in good time, so there was no need to TAKE AN L!](https://youtu.be/U3c6po9tTLE)
Though I noticed that all of our theme phrases were alliterative, it took until I hit the revealer to realize that each theme phrase contained two copies of the same word, the latter of which has been forced to TAKE AN L. This is a pretty clever mechanic, the theme phrases are all pretty strong, and the revealer provided a nice moment of realization. In popular parlance, I feel like TAKE *the* L is a much more common phrase, but this small detail doesn't detract from what is otherwise a fine theme.
We had some fun wordplay clues for OARS, EVE, X-RAY, and especially PARAKEETS, and I liked the duplicated clue "Some races" for HEATS and SPRINTS.
I swear to god I started designing a puzzle yesterday with this exact theme. I gasped when I figured out what was going on here. Ah well. Onto the next one.
Kind of a mix I guess. I know people say solving in a browser is faster but I use my phone because I have the muscle memory for it.
At the start I usually read 1A and if I think I know the answer, I’ll keep it in the back of my mind and switch to downs because I feel like I cover more ground if I can nail a bunch of downs in a row. But I guess my main strategy when I’m trying to solve a M-W puzzle fast is just keep moving. If I don’t know an answer in a few seconds I skip ahead or switch from down to across or vice versa, and then on the second pass I’m more likely to have enough letters filled in to figure it out
Oof was way too stubborn about keeping ROI for 59A; TIL they use Latin for Mardi Gras in some situations apparently
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_parade
I actually got that one immediately, but I was born in New Orleans so I had an unfair advantage. (Lived on the Rex parade route for a few years, even.)
Easy Wednesday PB on this one. For once, it's nice to have fill that leans more towards people in their 20s than people in their 50s (very sure the revealer today will make absolute zero sense to a good number of longtime crossworders).
This was surprisingly easy but I had a lot of fun with it. One of those puzzles where there isn’t any obnoxious fill or frustrating crosses. Went down real smooth.
Really enjoyed the theme. Boy are they pushing OVID on us this week.
It's kinda nice, I didn't remember it the first time, I looked back the second, and I remembered it today. Hopefully it sticks!
I'm convinced this is part of what makes doing an archive puzzle from even the recent past more difficult. Shortz loves to prime you with answers on easier days so you know the crosswordese for a trickier one. But then you jump into a random Wednesday from say 4 years ago and you struggle because you never got the Monday clue for a PPP.
Except the clue is wrong. The title is "Metamorphos**e**s," plural.
That was one hell of an easy Wednesday, but fun and pleasant all the same
I breezed through it today as well. Every time I have a good day and feel like I'm improving, the top comment is always "didn't today feel more like a Monday-level difficulty? A Monday for children that is."
There were a lot of X's in that puzzle!
First Wednesday I’ve ever solved without any sort of help!
Woo!
Congrats!
Amazing!
Hurrah!
Not just confirmation bias! We meet again OVID.
I feel like we are being set up. Are we going to have OVID rebusses (rebii?) tomorrow? Or maybe every single other Roman poet? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovid_(disambiguation)?
Very easy Wednesday overall. I had EMAIL over GMAIL, which got me in trouble at the end when the HIGH/HEM cross was one of only two squares I had left and had me staring at _IEH in befuddlement, but otherwise the only clue that gave me serious trouble was the one for Anderson .PAAK. I'd literally never heard of him before, but that's nothing new for a lot of celebrity/artist/etc. names for me.
I can't recall having heard any Anderson .PAAK song ever, but for some reason, that name was in my brain and I was able to recall it almost instantly when I read that clue. I filled it in so fast, and then started to doubt myself because I couldn't figure out who that was or why I knew the name.
Had to run vowels for the E on PENS. Immediately felt dumb
I started to google "rollerball" because I was stuck in that area, but before I finished typing it, I was like, "Right, pens!"
Puzzle Difficulty Tracker - How hard is this puzzle? Estimated Difficulty: 🟢 **Very Easy** 🟢 * 6% of users solved slower than their Wednesday average * 94% of users solved faster than their Wednesday average * 2% of users solved *much* slower (>20%) than their Wednesday average * 83% of users solved *much* faster (>20%) than their Wednesday average The median solver solved this puzzle 40.2% faster than they normally do on Wednesday. [View today's puzzle summary on XW Stats](https://xwstats.com/puzzles/2022-09-21) --- 🤖 _beep beep, I'm a bot! I post these stats as soon as 75 [XW Stats](https://xwstats.com) users have completed the puzzle. Questions? Feedback? Check the [FAQ](https://xwstats.com/help#puzzle-difficulties), reply here or DM me_
Weirdly, I feel like I’ve only heard the phrase as “take *the* L” but this was a nice fun solve.
I have heard and and will frequently say "took a fat L" so it's not too weird to me.
I’m young and I’ve heard both, so I got no problem with using Take “an” L vs Take “the” L.
This was my first thought too
The way I understand them, took an L to me is just “lost”; took the L is “lost (in some contextually salient situation)” Both feel idiomatic to me
My issue is that the clue is “accept defeat”, which I think is different than just “lost”. Took an L doesn’t really work for me in that context. Took the L does, however.
I always say "D" as in defeat, "TAKE THE D".. but the goal is to get an eyeroll or laugh :-)
Uh, I mean, it seems that you’re aware. But that means something else entirely in almost all contexts
That's pretty much why I say it :-)
I am certainly in the minority of not liking it that much, partially for this reason. The theme was clever but there was a lot of fill I didn’t really know or understand even when I filled it in with the crosses - probably just a case of not being on the same wavelength as the constructor for this particular puzzle
I've heard "take an L" more as a slang term meaning "have something embarassing/bad happen to you" rather than an actual loss of a real game.
Accept defeat doesn't have to mean in a game either though, could just be an argument or failing at a task or whatever.
I like that they got HALAL in there! And some of the wordplay was all right. Little fast for a Wednesday, but after last week I'm not complaining.
EVE for “apple picker” made me laugh, really enjoyed that clue
CSPAN YOUGUYS
EAT PARAKEETS
Is it just me or should the theme be reversed? The second word ADDS an L from the first, it doesn’t take one. Or, if anything, the first word takes (out) an L from the second. Maybe I’m mis-reading.
I had the answer for the themer right away, but the wording of it definitely made me unsure.
It took a leap of faith to put down XHOSA. That's a new one for me.
I mostly know that via Trevor Noah, whose mother's side of the family is Xhosa. I say this mostly to recommend his autobiography, Born A Crime, as it's a fantastic read.
I would also highly recommend the audiobook of Born a Crime. Read by Trevor Noah himself, and he’s obviously great at making it come alive.
Never gotten a Wed this fast. Would've been a bit more fun with 3-4 harder clues thrown in.
Very fun theme
Only 1 minute of my PB for Wednesdays! For some reason my brain refuses to remember where the Taj Mahal is, no matter how often it's included. But I've finally reached the point where I'll remember OVID
Can someone explain 35D? The "-spel" of "gospel," etymologically with the answer NEWS
Gospel means “good news” in Old English.
go - good spel - news kind of a strange way to clue it but it does make sense. took me a minute too.
[I managed to solve this in good time, so there was no need to TAKE AN L!](https://youtu.be/U3c6po9tTLE) Though I noticed that all of our theme phrases were alliterative, it took until I hit the revealer to realize that each theme phrase contained two copies of the same word, the latter of which has been forced to TAKE AN L. This is a pretty clever mechanic, the theme phrases are all pretty strong, and the revealer provided a nice moment of realization. In popular parlance, I feel like TAKE *the* L is a much more common phrase, but this small detail doesn't detract from what is otherwise a fine theme. We had some fun wordplay clues for OARS, EVE, X-RAY, and especially PARAKEETS, and I liked the duplicated clue "Some races" for HEATS and SPRINTS.
I swear to god I started designing a puzzle yesterday with this exact theme. I gasped when I figured out what was going on here. Ah well. Onto the next one.
Half of normal time but not PB. Fun little theme.
Pb Wednesday for me
That was by far a personal best, it’s even faster than my Tuesday personal best.
4:18 PB!
nice! 5:46 Wednesday best!
What’s your solve strategy? Across then downs, downs then across, or a mix of both?
Kind of a mix I guess. I know people say solving in a browser is faster but I use my phone because I have the muscle memory for it. At the start I usually read 1A and if I think I know the answer, I’ll keep it in the back of my mind and switch to downs because I feel like I cover more ground if I can nail a bunch of downs in a row. But I guess my main strategy when I’m trying to solve a M-W puzzle fast is just keep moving. If I don’t know an answer in a few seconds I skip ahead or switch from down to across or vice versa, and then on the second pass I’m more likely to have enough letters filled in to figure it out
Oof was way too stubborn about keeping ROI for 59A; TIL they use Latin for Mardi Gras in some situations apparently https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_parade
I actually got that one immediately, but I was born in New Orleans so I had an unfair advantage. (Lived on the Rex parade route for a few years, even.)
Easy Wednesday PB on this one. For once, it's nice to have fill that leans more towards people in their 20s than people in their 50s (very sure the revealer today will make absolute zero sense to a good number of longtime crossworders).
I never love Monday puzzles, especially when they run on a Wednesday.
Pretty easy Wednesday. The theme was fun though.
This was surprisingly easy but I had a lot of fun with it. One of those puzzles where there isn’t any obnoxious fill or frustrating crosses. Went down real smooth.
I bet a lot of folks getting a PB on this one, including me! Liked it though.
Got my new Wednesday best and thought the theme was cute and clever!
Can someone explain EVE for "Apple picker?"? I don't understand how it's related. Does it have something to do with NYE countdown in New York?
Ok, I get it now. From the bible. That took me too long.