I was aware of the term mansplaining before it appeared in the puzzle today. It’s defined as: the explanation of something by a man, typically to a woman, in a manner regarded as condescending or patronizing. It has branched out from men/women to cover a condescending explanation in general.
The term was coined in response to a 2008 essay by Rebecca Solnit (“Men Explain Things To Me”). Here’s the origin story, in her words: The word mansplaining was coined by an anonymous person in response to my 2008 essay and has had a lively time of it ever since. It was a NYT word of the year in 2010, and entered the OED in 2018. People often recount the opening incident in which a man explained a book to me, too busy holding forth to notice that I was its author, as my friend was trying to tell him.
Here’s the essayist, Ms. Solnit. No doubt Phil was mansplaining something to her, which is why she is covering her ears.
At 8D, we had a grid-spanning (15-letter) answer for the clue “Serious situation developing!” The answer was THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
At 54A the clue was “Rare shots” for HOLES IN ONE.
Which led commenter egs to note: I asks Mrs. Egs to grab me something from my shop to put two HOLESINONE of her cupboards for cup hooks. She brings me a hammer, so I MANSPLAINS that THISISNOTADRILL.
At 51A the very good clue “Sign of sluggishness?” was for the answer SLIME TRAIL. Get it? If you’ve ever seen a slug make its way across your tent floor, e.g., you’ll see that it leaves a trail of slime.
Commener kitshef shared: I once dressed up as a slug for Hallowe’en. Trailing out the back was forty feet of plastic wrap to give the appearance of a SLIME TRAIL.
“Roughly half of mice” are DOES. Did you know a female mouse is a doe? A male mouse is a buck, and a baby is a kitten or pinkie.
Sarah Day posted this photo in the Dull Men’s Club (UK) with the note: “Who’s with me?”
Liz Colclough commented: I hate pants and love cheese. It’s like they know me…
Ross Landale: You gouda be kidding.
Paul Ver: Only way.
Jessica Allyn: It’s a thief deterrent key ring. No one will want to steal your keys and risk breaking in to find you there eating cheese with no pants on.
Several comments understood the reference to mean it is the cheese that is not wearing pants. Sarah then posted this picture of cheese wearing pants.
I learned via the comments that “pants” means different things in the US and Britain. What we think of as pants in the US, like a pair of jeans, is called trousers over there. And pants, in Britain, refers to underpants, panties, etc.
Yet another example of crucial information which has eluded you all these years (maybe?), clarified and mansplained by Owl Chatter.
This poem by Louise Erdrich is called “Walking in the Breakdown Lane.” It appeared in today’s Writer’s Almanac.
Wind has stripped
the young plum trees
to a thin howl.
They are planted in squares
to keep the loose dirt from wandering.
Everything around me is crying to be gone.
The fields, the crops humming to be cut and done with.
Walking in the breakdown lane, margin of gravel,
between the cut swaths and the road to Fargo,
I want to stop, to lie down
in standing wheat or standing water.
Behind me thunder mounts as trucks of cattle
roar over, faces pressed to slats for air.
They go on, they go on without me.
They pound, pound and bawl,
until the road closes over them farther on.
This photo of Justin Timberlake appeared on AOL’s newsfeed in connection with the celebrity’s recent DWI arrest. (Burp!) Owl Chatter: Wow — now we know whom to cast for Volodymyr Zelensky when it’s time.
(BTW, VZ — George says he shipped out those 500 rocket launchers you asked for a couple of days ago to your Kyiv address. Make sure the doorman knows to look for them.)
Here’s JT’s wife of ten years, Jessica Biel. We discussed bed head a while back. This is another good example.
They have two sons, Silas and Phineas.
Nick Scotty of the DMC (UK) posted: I’ve decided on trying a few new hobbies and chosen both transcendental meditation and wood turning. Does anyone have any experience on either?
Tim Robinson: No.
Adrian Blount: Try not to combine them would be my advice.
Robert Sinclair: Once asked a bloke if he had any recommendations regarding transcendental meditation. He said he’d think about it and get back to himself.
Wait, what?
And we’ll leave you with that. See you tomorrow.
The Wellington Files 