In tomorrow’s Met Diary, Mary Herr writes,
Dear Diary:
A few years ago I was sitting in a crowded subway car one morning when an older woman got on holding a large bunch of roses. She gestured to people on the train to see if they would buy one of the flowers. After being rejected by everyone, she stood wondering what to do.
A young man approached her. He was dressed well, as if on his way to work. He asked how much for the whole bunch.
Fifty dollars, the woman said.
He gave her $50 and proceeded to hand out roses to all of the women on the car.
A special note to all of Owl Chatter’s Tanglewood friends. Don’t miss today’s feature in the NYT on how to spend 36 hours in the Berkshires. The pizza spot in Lenox sounds good, including its Bresaola with dried figs and stracciatella; and the brewhouse in Pittsfield offers drafts with names like Handsome Sailor, Shred the Cello, the Fifth Daughter, Fellini, and Mirror of Simple Souls. There is much to do in Great Barrington, says the Times, including a good rock, folk, etc., music venue in nearby South Egremont.
Here’s a shot Phil submitted from the Hoosic River and the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail in Adams.
Not surprisingly, the NYT failed to mention Teo’s, a dump Linda and I visited two summers ago. It’s in the middle of nowhere in Pittsfield. They feature small-sized hot dogs for about $1.50 each, so you order, like, four or five with traditional toppings like mustard, onion, or relish. Cheap beer is available too, which helps the dogs go down, if not stay down. It’s a great local scene and we can’t wait to get back.
Burp!
Headline in The Onion: Mayor Explains Why He Changed City Named After Slave-Owning Founder To Salami Town
The NYTXW defeated me today. I won’t bore you with the details of my miscues. Instead, I’ll bore you with 2 unusual four-letter answers: Did you know the capital of Greenland is NUUK? I didn’t either. And a dialect in the Black community is AAVE. It stands for African-American Vernacular English. Go know.
Here’s Nuuk at niight (not to be confused with Nick at Night).
At 20A, “View of the moon?” was a cute clue for BUTT.
A shoal upon which many foundered was the crossing of ADA TWIST with RICK STEVES. I know. Seriously, right? Ada is “Titular scientist in a 2016 children’s book by Andrea Beaty.” (WTF!) And Rick is “‘Travel as a Political Act’ author, 2009.” Are you kidding me?
At 25D, “They may open doors for you” had to be MAGIC WORDS, no? But it turned out to be BUS DRIVERS. Here’s one!
In yesterday’s puzzle there was a controversy over 22A. The clue was “Playful snarl” and the answer was ROWR. Many would have preferred RAWR.
Here’s Rex on it: The [Playful snarl] is RAWR. We’ve established this. There is ample crossword precedent for RAWR (four NYTXW appearances). Sadly, however, there is also precedent for ROWR, though not as ample (just two appearances before today). I hate that the crossword thinks you can go either way on this, when the correct spelling seems to me quite clear: RAWR is the playful snarl, ROWR is a typo. The more you bend the spelling, the more obviously you are in “playful” territory, so RAWR > ROWR by a country mile, case closed, stop using ROWR, it’s ****ing awful.
Commenter Jammon noted: RAWR, ROWR…who gives a (stool sample.) Neither one is a word, regardless of how often the NYT uses them. The best crossword puzzle should NEVER just make up words, yet the NYT does it almost daily.
Gary chimed in: You do know that EVERY word is just made up, right?
Anony Mouse said: Rowr and rawr are different. Rowr is sexy. Rawr is cute. This is known. [OC: not by me, it isn’t.]
DrSparks proposed a better clue: “Seat with 17 heads ahead of you?”–ROWR. (Get it? Row R.)
At 48D yesterday “Fork-tailed bird” was TERN. It led egs to share this:
When Mrs. Egs and I were contemplating divorce, we alternated picking household items that we would take. She had just chosen our dog and then said “I’ll also take the fork-tailed bird.” I countered, “No, it’s my TERN.”
You can see the forked tail in this shot. (Thanks Philly!)
This clue was a complete mystery to me at 33A. “Half of LV.” See if you can get it (three letters). I’ll tell you the answer later.
At 3D, the clue was “Stay [blank]” and the answer was WOKE.
Commenter jazzmanchgo notes the following, re: what’s almost certainly the first recorded version of the term “stay woke” in its original sense of “stay alert, keep your eyes open.”
In 1938, folk singer Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter recorded the song “Scottsboro Boys” about the notorious Scottsboro Boys trial, which had taken place seven years earlier. In it he warns “all good Colored people” to watch their backs and be vigilant: “I advise everybody, be a little careful when they go along through there. Best stay woke, keep their eyes open.” (Good advice then, and just as timely now.)
It’s unclear whether Ledbetter actually coined the phrase, but I [the commenter] know of no documented instances of its being used before this.
Here he is:
[From up above: Half of LV is LAS (think Las Vegas). D’oh!]
David Dibb of the Dull Men’s Club (UK) asks the following, which is dangerously close to being interesting:
“Driving down a country lane the other day on a leisurely drive back from my son’s football. Noticed some ladies on horses riding along the road. As I slowed to pass I noticed one of the riders pull out her mobile phone and begin using it. Did I witness an offence or is it different when on an animal on the road as opposed to a vehicle?”
Stephen Carroll observed: It won’t have been an android phone, as horses prefer Apples.
Graham Oates posted: I think it’s illegal to be drunk in charge of a horse, but it’s okay if you’re sober and the horse is drunk, which seems a bit unfair.
The majority view was it’s unwise but not illegal (in Britain) to use a mobile phone while riding a horse. But the rural road safety advice issued by the British Horse Society states that it is illegal to use a phone while riding.
Owl Chatter’s feelings on the matter: Horsefeathers!
In a related story, this is Nanako Fujita, Japan’s leading female jockey. She was charged with using her cellphone in a restricted area of a racecourse, and her license was suspended. As a consequence, she has retired from the sport, at age 27. Nanako! We hardly knew ye. Give us a call — oops, sorry!
See you tomorrow!
The Wellington Files 