Wednesday's New York Times crossword puzzle solved: November 4, 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My time: 7:27, over two minutes faster than average.

Theme: five Across clues are to be read by their initials, and the corresponding answer is a set phrase that happens to describe the items in the clues.  For example, "Indigo, Cerulean" is meant to be read as I, C and since they are shades of blue the answer is ICY BLUE.  (ICY sounds like I, C.)  Or we have "Noon, Eleven," read as N, E, sounds like any, and thus is ANYTIME.

There is no reference to this way to interpret the clues in the puzzle, no capper or punchline, and no apparent reason for the initials to have importance.  On the first one, "Euro, Zloty," I got EASY MONEY (E, Z money) and naturally thought we were going with set abbreviations (E for euro, and perhaps Z is the abbreviation for zloty?).  But "Macaw, Tern" put paid to that theory, since birds don't have abbreviations.  It's just reading their initials and writing the resulting homophone!  No reason.

The last one I figured out was "Satellite, Pulitzer" (ESPY AWARD), because I haven't heard of the Satellite awards.  They are are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs.  So, super important, then.

I have heard of rumspringa, from somewhere, but forgot what it was.  Translated as "jumping around," it's a rite of passage for AMISH teens to sow some oats.  Amish elders generally view it as a time for courtship and finding a spouse, but a popular view of rumspringa is as a rite of passage when the usual behavioral restrictions are relaxed, so that Amish youth can acquire some experience and knowledge of the non-Amish world. 

I thought I knew Keebler crackers, but ZESTA seems to have escaped me.

We all know ERIE, Pennsylvania, but we don't know it's called Flagship City.  Erie is known as the "Flagship City" because of its status as the home port of Oliver Hazard Perry's flagship "Niagara."

"Game akin to crazy eights" is UNO.

Apparently the singer born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor is AKA Lorde.  That's a mouthful!

The motto for Tufts University is "PAX et Lux," meaning peace and light.  Their mascot is Jumbo the elephant!  Also, more relevantly, they have a kosher cafe called Pax and Lox.

A Minute Maid Park pro is an ASTRO, as shown on November 1, 2018.

"F-" as ION came up on September 6, 2018.

Clever clues: "Options when picking locks?" is WIGS.  "Covers a lot, in a way" is PAVES.  "Jobs creation" is IPAD.  "Salon competitor" is SLATE.  "It must do it" is a great clue for TAG.

This was a nice Wednesday puzzle, although the theme is a bit weird and desultory.  Has anyone peacefully surrendered power yet?  Asking for a friend.