Thursday: Doubly Cryptic! - 29 August 2024 New York Times Crossword

hello it is Thursday August 29th 2024 I'm Chris Remo and welcome back to the New York Times crossword daily solve it's a Thursday crossword so we're going to be solving a potentially tricky crossword with an interesting or intricate theme and this tricky interesting or intricate edition of The Daily solve has been brought To Us by Matthew trake faram and as always the indomitable schm the encourageable sheer beer and the definable Charlie padet thank you so much to the five of them benefactors of the daily self patreon campaign for their generous support they do of course support this channel they keep it going day by day for that I'm very grateful thanks to them and to everybody who supports the channel uh via patreon uh at any level I really do appreciate it and if you'd like to join them you can head to patreon.com daol or click the description field link where you'll find the bonus videos available to patrons and for benefactors like those five the let's check the cross's official mug thanks again to all of the patrons and uh thanks as well if you subscribe on YouTube that's a big help and you can also join a nice friendly chat Community uh the daily solve Discord Channel which is linked in the description field there's a uh well there's a link that's where it is and uh thanks as well if you subscribe on YouTube like the videos comment and so on so with that all said let's get on to today's crossword of Thursday puzzle uh usually one of the more distinctive themes of the week this is constructed by Simeon seagull who's um constructed around a dozen puzzles for the New York Times it was edited once again by Joel Fano and um let's start solving see what's in store for us this Thursday tippy top the Acme or the something like that the very top wanted notice for short I don't know fashion designer Anna Anna s I've seen um that name certainly with respect to fashion and fashion design so let's see if that helps me question from an impatient negotiator I don't know and we have I do see we have these circles they're not symmetrically disposed which I can't really take anything from now I don't know if it's going to affect this answer or not so let's look elsewhere for now take oh but I do see actually that some of these Clues are are uncluded so interesting uh take for a sucker I think that's used to use somebody could be to manipulate them or deceive them to take them for a sucker so I think that's probably right to take them for a for a Psy or someone gullible meaning of veni so that's I came in the famous boast venny VI vichi I came I saw I conquered uh so that'll be that uh here we have writer who equipped the world is a stage but the play is badly cast uh that sounds like Oscar wild to me um seems very appropriate to his sort of W uh a seric wit okay does that help with this at all question from an impatient negotiator so when I don't know no idea businessman Emanuel oh Ari Emanuel is someone who is that is he a sort of Hollywood agent person that name is familiar to me let's put it in and see if it works musical inter interval l c to E flat that's a minor third that's quite a lot to put in here I mean obviously you could imagine well I shouldn't say obviously if you've not encountered this before but if you've solved quite a lot of these crosswords you might think this is a Rebus which is when you enter more than one oh wait no I already think I know what it is well I'll just say what I was thinking um no I don't know what it is no maybe I do okay because re um you enter more than one letter into a cell so I was thinking my first thought was well is there any way you could type nor third all into here which you can see you can barely even you can barely even parse it um it just seems very unlikely that that would be the case so that's the Rebus is a function by which you can do that you can enter any number of letters in a cell and you some some puzzles some especially on Thursday might require it but actually it occurred to me maybe it's that R in Oscar wild is is very um telling because it makes me wonder if maybe we spell minor third we sort of Bounce along these Corners at 90° angles so we have minor third spelled out here I mean I have to admit it was it's useful to be musically aware enough to immediately identify that c to E flat is a minor third I mean if you didn't know that then I don't know how you'd get this um but let's see so this this would be Tron and then Challenger eg3 oh maybe not no this doesn't look right never mind H makes no never mind never mind I retract I retract my um my guess maybe it's just a coincidence that there's an R there because when I when I you know I'm just saying when I put in third these all looked terrible so okay never mind I don't know yet how this works okay forget it and actually that makes sense that that isn't correct because what would the circle be doing there you'd think if that were the case we'd put circles there but also here so yeah never mind okay I don't know go undefeated against is that own you sort of own your opponent you you you know totally sweep you just destroy them uh makes critical comments about it picks or no I don't know Challenger EG yeah so what is that it's not space shuttle what is it in this case don't know win like a loser question mark don't know what that's about it's probably clever but I can't quite see it extract as from data to educe no to add up no I'm not sure have I looked at this yet exhausting wearing out if you're wearing someone out you're exhausting them that sounds plausible to me I'm very curious about this I guess this is actually no I should right it's this that's the theme thing and then this will be correct as a result of it I suppose I yeah I don't know okay makes critical comments about win like a loser extract us from data crafter's marketplac is Etsy there we go website on which people sell homemade Goods anatomical pouches are sacks um like a kangaroo sack for instance or I guess that's not really what it is kangaroos pouch sack would be more like um I don't know something like an egg sack or something like that something probably more internal but uh anyway extract this from data oh maybe it is a deuce oh right okay I wasn't sure that that would be right but I think maybe it is so what about this Challenger don't know oh do there's a Dodge that Dodge Challenger is a car model okay what on Earth is going on here I have absolutely no idea I hope I hope there's some other information in the puzzle to help me understand what this is doing minor third dry nor third oh no but it's it is third oh oh it's no oh ah okay I need to combine my two ideas actually strangely enough this is North this is uh wow this is a really interesting and sort of multifaceted uh theme here so I did spell out my third and I did go up and also I did use a Rebus to do it so everything I explained before is required but we need to combine two of them and then add one additional thing which is a sort of um a kind of cryptic way to interpret this so right so so does this mean anything no I don't think this does I think this is just I think eight down is just a blank clue because the only only thing that's going on here is that we're using it to help solve 22 across so we get my we get to here and then we go north so the letters n o r t h are simultaneously serving as a direction telling us to go north upwards in the Grid at this point but also we're using those letters themselves as part of the answer that's incredibly clever it's incredibly cleverly constructed minor third I mean that's really good and again that would be very difficult I think to get if you didn't understand what this clue is asking for the musical interview like musical interval like CD flat okay but I'm very pleased to have understood it finally so I think what that means is we'll we'll have maybe maybe Northeast no North oh no I bet they'll be the the uh directions on the compass road so maybe this one will be West and then this one will be East and this one will be South I bet I'm going to put them in right now just as I'm going to sort of take a wager and then we'll see if this holds up uh so this would be East now if you're wondering because I didn't really go into it at Great length if you're wondering how I'm putting all these extra letters into the grid um it's with this Rebus function which I did mention earlier it's it's just a function you can enable and uh you might wonder well how do you know you're supposed to do that and the answer is you just have to figure it out from solving the puzzle there isn't anything that tells you today there's going to need to be a Rebus or anything like that but they're much more likely to occur on Thursday than any other day uh they can occur on other days but they're more likely to occur on Thursday um Thursday is just the day when we tend to get more intricate themes and this certainly qualifies as that anyway let's see can I solve any of these so if this one goes east we'd start up top Furniture Outlet with an average size of 300,000 Square ft or five football fields I IKEA store yes there we go and so we get to here Ikea we use these letters e a s t but we also go east this way great so this one's West question from an impatient negotiator oh right okay uh something so when do we start or something like that I don't I don't really know so when no I don't I'm not sure what this is going to be that it feels too long and could be anything I'm not sure keeps the faith holds out hope yeah yeah oops uh I don't know what I just did there but anyway hold so this is going to be South holds out hope there we go I'm pretty confident that that's probably right okay good I'm very pleased with this progress so there we go there's a uh there's a little effort for the people who like it when I when I tackle the theme early when I jump ahead and get the theme Clues this looks like gloat win like a loser oh I see yes if you win and then gloat about it you're a bit of a loser aren't you okay makes critical comments about Digs at you dig at someone maybe maybe term for a swab okay right so this is a swab a you know Naval term for a sailor so you know Hoy matey that kind of thing words on a state license plate uh I don't know but there is a state I don't remember what state it is there's a state called the me too State isn't there or something like that or no it's I'm thinking of the no I'm confusing things I'm thinking of the show me state okay never mind I don't know what this one is okay suit type for cab Callaway did he wear a Zoot Suit he would have been kind of in the right era for it I think um that's probably the case which then came back years later with the sort of uh Americanized version of SCA actress in The Avatar and Avengers FR ches uh not sure is it Zoe somebody trying to think what else could start this way um not sure okay oh Zoe seld I it's funny I haven't seen Avatar or any of the Avengers films but Zoe Selana is certainly an actor and I think I have seen her in you know a trailer for Avatar something I didn't realize she was in Avengers but there we go so I think this is this is probably correct start of many Scottish surnames could be uh Mac like you know McDonald MacArthur whatever uh obsolescent data storage option for short CDs I suppose they're basically obsolescent at this point uh do oh maybe maybe not what is this dose intermittently okay maybe it's not this CD R for CD ROM I don't know not sure what this is part of an iris in the eye or or is there oh no it could be an iris it could be the plant so it could be petal yeah blank moved sign in an empty Shop's window we've moved probably so what's this do intermittently drow is that if you say obviously if you say I'm drowsy does that mean I'm drowsing oh look he's having a bit of a drowse he's dozing intermittently that could be it so this is CDR oh this is no CDR is the that was the um CD rewritable I think or something something like that where you could write over the CD multiple times instead of it being kind of permanent all right that's what it is yeah I remember that that's a bit obscure at this point it's a fairly short era that the CDR was around I think founder of a Persian religion Zoro Aster the um ancient um I don't know what you what youd call him Mystic or Sage or something sort of defined concept of um Good and Evil you know Millennia ago um I think depending on when you believe zoroaster lived Zoroastrianism which does still exist although is obviously much smaller than at its height um is is arguably the oldest extant religion um anyway aunt in Italian um how is that not obvious to me I'm not sure what about this exhibition contents art it's simple enough um not just any could be every not just any every not just any I mean yeah it's definitely not just any it's the complete opposite of that uh feels a bit odd but I think it's probably right very basic cleaner lie so basic is doing double duty here in the sense of referring to a sort of simple cleaner I guess and that it's kind of a common cleaning solution but also more specifically it's basic on the pH scale as opposed to acidic Sky writing question mark so right so so this is a a Gaelic language um uh and sky is referring here to the the aisle of Sky um in Scotland so uh that is what's going on there financially behind if you're in a rears your you're financially behind you're you're oh Z is is ant in Italian yes actually actually ordered pizza from a local uh Italian Pizzeria called Z Luchia so ant Luchia all right uh balance sheet listing is an asset there we go veggies that are often deep fried are okras and words on a state oh it's just the motto it's not specific words it's just the idea the concept of words on a state license plate would be the state motto oh right and here's a bit about the theme what one must do using the circled letters to solve this puzzle of something directions clearly um using this follow directions that's what it is there we go good all right Sports organization founded by Billy Jean King um I'm not sure she was a tennis player right I'm still not sure uh let's see some fog orders um on ises that's definitely not not correct I don't know what that is A1 Primo the best competitive Gamers Forte not sure what that's about fictional creature born from mud of the Orcs And The Lord of the Rings were born from mud so what's this competitive gamers for I don't know I don't know what that is maybe it'll be obvious when we get it leaves on a pizza could be basil there we go uh as in you know literal plant leaves as opposed to sort of leaving something on the pizza some vodka orders oh stoles stoich um vodka that's what it is okay so then what's this Sports organization W yeah still don't know all right Captain's subordinates uh subordinates uh bosen uh that's these sort of uh I I find this to be such a strangely kind of rendered word um with but you know we're spelling captain in a similar way with all of these um uh apostrophes sorry brain went completely blank there uh the same way you'd get in the spelling of bzen um so there's a bit of a clue there anyway that's the answer so then what's this oh yeah right it's this one question from an impatient negotiator so I want this to be oh no it's not when it's probably where when is not long enough so where do we stand okay so I see so maybe you negoti right you're negotiating I was thinking a sort of hostage negotiator or something for some reason but uh yeah you could just be negotiating I don't know a salary or something and you so where do we stand what's the current situation let's see if that works that would make this WTA which may well be correct but I don't I just don't know um that's unfortunate let's what about this one response to gracias Tanada uh just you know of nothing don't worry about it thank you no big deal okay so celebrate style uh Fates maybe you you you know you fate someone you celebrate them you hold a party could be I'm not sure I'm not certain that's the answer so let's check this like some incorrect clocks uh correct twice a day I don't know edge of a metro area uh xerb yeah okay so um you know the area out sort of on the exterior sort of the outskirts of an urban area the exurbs Senators garments wants uh togas so this would be senators of the Roman Republic and famously Mor toogas conductor of electrical impulses such as in our brain we've got axons up there and like some incorrect CL oh oh I see it's it's running it's running fast which is why it's incorrect there we go this looks like sugar something spouse to a trophy husband perhaps so sugar um mama is in you know she sort of provides money and gifts and whatever else okay I think that's probably right okay um let's see warning not to go not sure Coalition of skilled workers a trade Union yeah that'll be right okay uh warning not to go don't know small stuff to sweat oh beads of sweat oh oh right okay this isn't toas this is to so there we go so you could pluralize it either way but uh and this is certainly less common in English at least in my experience but uh that's fine so small stuff to sweat you are sweating beads of sweat and then warning not to go red oh I see and traffic right okay red light don't go fair enough okay kiwi cousins are emu there we go so that this is referring to uh the birds rather than residents of uh New Zealand although they could be that as well uh flock member not not Memu uh what is it a oh a flock of of sheep a u probably so had the best time say oh this doesn't look right maybe sugarm mama is o because if you had the best time say you won you had the best time of anybody because you literally won so that could be it and then powerful Auto engines hemis right I don't actually know exactly what defines a Hemi engine but I've heard of them I mean I've heard the phrase anyway I think that's probably right place where you might feel calm while sweating a spa you might be in the SAA and um uh literally sweating even though that's the point okay basic cleaner a mop right okay so here we had very basic cleaner is lie and then here we have a basic cleaner which is a mop maybe you're even mopping with the LIE there we go that's good oh those were right right after one another all right got one more corner to finish here zip nil zero nothing NADA uh list would be to lean to sort of list to the side is to lean uh first in a series of Norwegian kings Olaf the first I would think would be the first in a series and the you know nor orian olafs is certainly a famous line all right go off script would be to ad lib to um improvise some dialogue drivein I guess is in drive-in theaters or restaurants had a thing for you uh something to on that person but I I don't I'm not sure what it is off hand sprawling shopping centers are malls of some kind Mega malls Maybe eponymous physicist George om for For Whom the unit of resistance was named does that does that help me with this how to thing for uh no I'm not immedately saying it doctor's order script prescription I don't know oh say a maybe or maybe it's there two hes I'm not sure let's look at this and see Stout EG that's an an example of an ale it's a beer type so there we go okay so this could be say ah doctor's order as and they're literally the order they're they're giving you they're ordering you to do this so military school newbie is plea I've certainly picked that one up especially from crosswords uh twice monthly and and that's you know from plean presumably um anyway twice monthly tide uh would be a neep tide there we go um display self-satisfaction to PR maybe to sort of be very act in a self-important way perhaps let's see if that works hard to grasp in a way this is an unusual word but I have seen the word eely as in like an eel sort of rgly and and and slippery so let's see if that holds this looks like Eagle Call of Duty maybe not oh it's not Eagle it's bugle you might hear a bugle on a military base sort of calling you to duty so I think that'll be correct wanted notice for short an APB in all points bulletin might be issued by a police department and to um put out the call to search for a particular person and then tippy top it is the Acme it was my original thought and it turns out that that was correct uh and then oh if you had a thing for someone you crushed on them okay that's fair enough that's that's perfectly normal okay so there we go uh a really interesting theme today that absolutely flumed me initially I'm really I really like that that ultimately my solve of the theme specifically sort of combined multiple Notions that I had uh worked out it worked out well um I I got a little bit Lucky in that regard I suppose that I happened to sort of think of two possibilities and was able to combine them so anyway we have north east south and west represented in the grid via Rebus and we've used them cryptically to sort of follow directions and spell out uh minor thir uh IKEA store so where do we stand this one's Bonkers and then finally holds out hope I think holds out hope is may be my favorite just because it's such a common phrase and it it sort of straddles the uh directions so well minor third is pretty good as well in that regard actually uh the North and South I like both of those um very interesting theme very impressively constructed well done to Simeon seagull I definitely haven't seen this one before I really I'm very impressed by the double duty of the Rebus words that they serve both as actual sort of letters a sort of fodder for making the answer but also as kind of instructions uh it's very it's very well done very impressive and there we go that was the Thursday cross word hope you enjoyed it let me know how you fared with this one in the comments or the Discord I'm always curious to see and I'll be back tomorrow with a Friday puzzle themeless none of this cryptic nonsense so join me for that but until then please do have an excellent remainder of your Thursday take care