This piece by Jeremy Wayne was in this week’s Met Diary.
On a broiling summer day in July 2008, I was in the underwear section of a deserted men’s department at Macy’s in Herald Square, taking advantage of the store’s air conditioning as I looked for some new underwear.
A small older woman approached me and asked in a lilting Irish accent if I might help her.
Of course, I said.
“I’m looking for a pair of underpants for an older gentleman,” she said, “but I don’t know what style an older gentleman might wear.”
“Well,” I said, “I might avoid briefs if I were you.” I ushered her away from the displays of the more revealing items and toward some practical alternatives.
“Perhaps a boxer or an old-fashioned Y-front,” I suggested, “and in not too lurid a color. Or you might even run to a check.”
She seemed to like that idea and picked out a three-pack of checked boxers. Then she hesitated and explained that she only needed one pair. We searched again and found a single pair.
She seemed pleased with her choice, and as we said goodbye, she thanked me gently for my help.
“By the way,” she said, “I forgot to mention that the gentleman in question is deceased.”
In the puzzle today, I don’t get why “Big screens” is TAX AUDITS. Otherwise, I liked the puzzle despite some bruisers: “One aboard the Tiangong space station” is a TAIKONAUT, which is the name used in the West for a Chinese astronaut. That’s one serious-ass Saturday-level clue.
At 63A, “Belittling” was DEROGATIVE, like derogatory but with a different suffix. LMS said: I rather like being startled by an unexpected suffix. ‘Cause then I get to sit and ponder different suffixes and how they feel. Derogatistic, derogatant, derogatesque, derogatitious. . .cool beans.
The clue/answer that provoked the most chatter was 15A: “Adoration of the Kardashians, e.g.” The answer was HAGIOLATRY. It generally means the worshipping of saints, so what’s with the K-dashians? Well, a secondary meaning is “undue veneration of a famous person.” So there.
I am so out of it — who are these people? There are six of them? What’s that white thing on the fourth one in?
We learned from 7D that the MASAI giraffe is the tallest land mammal on earth. LMS again: It’s ridiculous how often I think about the Masai. No, really. I’ll trip and almost fall, then check to make sure no one saw me. Then I wonder if a Masai woman would have the same almost-fall-down insecurity. [I can’t tell if she’s kidding — probably, right? — but either way it’s just the type of perfect nonsense we live for at Owl Chatter.]
CDilly52 added:
My niece adored giraffes from a very early age and it was she at the ripe old age of 4 (I remember because she had not started public school kindergarten yet) who taught me about “Messy giraffes.” She read everything she could about them but I was confused. I asked her why they were messy and she said they were too tall to clean their rooms. Later I looked them up and found that they are Masai, but they shall forever be “messy” giraffes to me.
It’s hard for me to predict almost anything about Rex’s writeup. I’ll work my tuchas off to stagger my way through a puzzle and he’ll rate it easy. Ot he’ll fulminate about things that seem neat little nothings to me. His assessment of today’s puzzle was moderate praise, with some griping. And here’s what an anonymous poster said:
“Clearly, the constructor is a friend of Rex. Otherwise, this puzzle would be bashed. Looking back Rex’s write-ups at the constructors older puzzles, [what?] Rex holds back criticism.”
That’s a pretty derogative thing to say, no? — That Rex would fudge a review for a friend. It’s a challenge to his integrity. It’s also a discourtesy, because we are all visiting in Rex’s house when we’re on his blog.
In an unusual rebuttal of sorts, Rex replied simply to note he never met the constructor.
And then Weezie weighed in with:
I really feel like if you’re going to make this type of unkind, groundless claim you should at least have the courage to sign your name to it, aka, as we say in Brooklyn, say it with your full chest. Rex will often go in on the puzzles but rarely goes after the constructors; I wish that folks would afford OFL [Our Fearless Leader] the same courtesy and stay away from this kind of claim. It’s just mean, especially to someone who freely provides all of us a forum to nerd out about crosswords together.
Well put, Weezie!
It was a long day with our whole six-pack of grandchildren. I am worn down and worn out. What a beautiful bunch of kids. How blessed are we, kinahora?
See you tomorrow. Thanks for popping in!
The Wellington Files 