Learning Crossword Week 19 | NYT Crossword Thursday Sept 12th, 2024

I'm learning to do the big New York time crosswords I'm going to attempt to do all of them this week I don't know but we'll see if I have time to do these every day the especially the hard ones take me a while but what I'm going to be doing is not being shy on looking stuff up using Checker revealing letters whatever it takes to finish the puzzle because that's how you learn you don't learn by not doing the puzzles um I had some advice I mean some people were like yep look things up right away some people are like can you try all the clues like one past once before you look up I'll try that um I'm going to try to do a quick pass I'm not going to do too much thinking just like okay I know this one I know this one we'll SE it and then I'll go back through again in areas and um start looking stuff up that I think is helpful all right let's go like some bad breakups not sure item of clothing in a prince hit a cape or something I don't know um Fender Bassman don't know who that is what Romeo and Juliet plan to do in Mana elope obsessive fan of anime or video games from the Japanese so that's an otaku I believe I can't blink can't say I can't I need crosses on that limb question mark so this is one of our theme words I don't know key not found on a Mac control um I don't know shift alt Al I think alt is not found on a Mac head of France um I was thinking just think about guanes um I don't know who the head of France is put at a table say set you like set a table you place none of that fits gets ready for the national anthem maybe stands so it's not gonna be standed because it's like he gets ready he stands he I don't know weird you stand you put your hand on your heart I don't know what the five letter word would be with an S I'm guessing it as an S though so let's do that um obviously duh I'm going to pencil in Du all right bills like yeah I don't know maybe this ends an S2 neuters um like fixes maybe I'll pencil that too foremost so yeah this is another theme word I don't get it yet um do are they both golf related limb is not golf related I was thinking four like you yell four I know that's a stretch but I don't know this guy him I don't I don't know suan Nate of the island of Borneo fratty stereotypes Chad it's maybe an ends an S Petra cor is the aroma produced by this no idea what that is insert as a video in a post insert as a video in a post so it's another word for insert in when we're talking about video in a post I don't know what that means folk rocks Mumford and Suns Golden Rule word do onto others maybe onto is it unto or unto put on to muffle to like gag to I don't know bit of Decor at a tiki bar what are those um what are those things that they set on fire called I don't know ready okay so another theme word not so not sure it might cause some unsurprised looks stately tree like an oak tree or something I don't know fathoms blank opening song of The Little Mermaid oh that's the one where they're singing about how awesome they are and their dad is and then Ariel doesn't show up but I don't know the name of that song actually each um I don't know river through Louisville in Kentucky I suppose I'm not sure genetic messenger DNA that's not really the messenger I'm not going to fill DNA there dying is a theme word c67 across with 64 across bad thing to be caught in I don't know large wedding band say um are we talking about wedding band or are we talking about a band that plays at a wedding either way I'm not sure former title for beat booted um he was the mayor right mayor Pete pregnancy increments trimester that certainly doesn't fit month I don't I don't know noise in the air I might end an S though let's see noise in the air type oh nose in the air type so someone who's stuffy I'm not sure Downs hot Deli order like some kind of sandwich or I'm not sure legal riter mistle no idea tender I don't know no aloc alitus I'm going to have to look that word up you beta yep tunnel through bore is that how you spell that you bore through singer James I don't know railing post question mark I don't know scrape out scrape out SK I don't know one of 27 on Disney's World on Disney World Cinderella castle like a Spire I don't know one of 27 gargoyle Sushi order topped with salmon I don't know progress markers I don't know rewards for a good boy treats um I don't know it can it can come before Wednesday Tuesday Wednesday spelled out I have no idea feet in a meter about three 3ish I mean it doesn't go cleanly but there's about 3et in the meter a little over I don't know charger option for short huh is fixes and uh both wrong I don't know charger option oh USB those I think these are both right then well I I don't know if fix this is right from the last letter but I think does right um track that fans flip for meh um don't know spot to store sheet music um un under you know there's the piano bench you can lift up the piano bench there's storage in it did it happen already I don't think this can start with X I don't think this is fixes is it space let's look at these again me spot toor piano bench it was piano bench wow I had that right did it happen already okay I mean that looks better stewed in fact let's oh I don't want to weo for those yeah right now um actually I do I want to look at these acrosses this guy is it really just him um Petra cor Aroma produced by something okay yeah I'm not getting those um did it happen already I'm going to pencil him I don't know sh looks really good okay let's just keep going St I don't know not on good terms with like much Marshland swamp swampy I don't know nail polish brand with a get it girl pink probably something like Essie I'm going to look that up later brought back don't know acknowledge wordlessly bills might pass in this for short um congress senate house lab report this is going to be something related to dogs um I think unmoved by ethical arguments unmoved by ethical arguments I don't know or that tests the waters um the EPA probably 2024 Charlie XCX album with a lime green cover brat chip in don't know give in on Christmas Eve perhaps I don't know goes for still don't know okay howdy heya aware of don't know creature popularized in Charles peral's Tales of Mother Goose oh so what would be a creature I don't know um glass blocks weird Helen not sure can I get any of these AC crosses River nope dine nose in the air type okay so now we're going to go back through and we're going to be willing to look stuff up um like some bad breakups item clothing on a prince hit starts with b um I'm not sure I'm not sure I'd want to look that up right now Fender Bassman I'm going to look up who that is oh it's a [Music] um it's an amp it's a guitar amp I can't I don't know uh what about these Downs rewards for good boy pets okay progress markers M something L what's this I can't I can't see um Sushi order top of salmon o I can look that up sushi with salmon oopsie salon on top ngiri okay I don't know we're going to skip that um let's move on to here limb I don't so what are are all of our italicized Clues we've got limb question mark foremost question mark we've got what's another one is that it oops sorry scrolling the wrong thing um I thought there was more dine just those three yeah I don't know um head of France okay let's look that up maybe French prime minister Michael barer French President macron right well this is four letters head of France it's macron okay this is this is something this is something different I don't know hot Deli order legal writer mistol let's look that up mistol Ellie they love that name uh so does that help any of these like some bad breakups messy messy breakups hot Deli order beat um I still can't think of that tender sore maybe elit is that Speedy let's look up Al I just want to make sure I know I'm I'm not I'm guessing the definition right now Define alarus alacris I think is what it is respond without day delay or hesitation sure Speedy limb why is this three e maybe this isn't sore head of France tender what would it be oh uh what it be besides sore I don't know is it three E's is it like i e or something um France e we'll come back to this maybe if I figure out the theme it'll help um how about this three-letter word it can come before Wednesday I don't know um item okay let's let's keep doing let's keep going through this put at a table say sets then it would be puts at a table say Ash Wednesday seat you put a seat at the table singer James okay James Singer um there's so many James um darn I don't think I'm going to be able to figure that out with a Google railing post scrape out okay Disney World Cinderella Castle 27 up um going to Disney's website about it what are maybe there's a Wikipedia article on it Cinderella Castle search for 27 27 Towers I don't think otako is right supposed to be otaku is there a different one obsessive fan of anime or video games yeah otaku is someone a Japanese word for describe people with consuming interest particularly anime manga video games computers is Oto uh alternate no Towers wouldn't be one of 27 so I think that that's a bait there are 27 Towers but they're looking for something else and I don't know what what they're looking for so I'm going to I'm going to move on uh gets ready for the national anthem maybe stands I still think it should be stands there was something here I was going to look up I think no can't bills foremost is sultanate on the island of Borneo Borneo I mean everyone's Googling this right now IND the sultanate of brunai that's not brunai I want Borneo oh the sultanate of brunai BR Ru NE eii that was the answer is an independent Islamic sultanate on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia what is a Sul inate a state or country gared by a sultan should have guessed okay so does that help any of these Downs brought back return it's past tense though and that doesn't even fit stewed not on good terms with much like like much Marshland wet track that fans flip for yeah I'm not going to get any of these all right we'll keep getting some acrosses then fratty stair stereotypes Chads what about this double s here nail polish brand ah yeah get it girl pink nail let's look for nail polish brands uh it is Essie okay bit of Decor at a TIY bar ah what what are the tiki torches called tiki torch three letters um Dy torch name let's see T torch is a pole mounted torch typically made of bamboo it must be something else whoops I don't know what just happened um maybe a does that how you spell that um what is the the lay L eii I'm going to guess it's Lei okay ready not so H it might cause some unsurprised looks I don't even know what that means stately tree I wanted to put elk for some reason I'm not sure fath okay I can look up fathoms oh probably fathoms below let's just double check that fathoms below yeah okay from The Little Mermaid we tell you A Tale of the bottom is blue and it's hay to the starboard heho yeah okay so that I didn't even remember what the first song was can I get this did it happen already am I too late RNA is the genetic messenger good thing I didn't put DNA and then actthe bad thing to be caught in the act oh so it it's it it yeah it's the ACT it's because 67 is the clue and it says with 64 okay cool piano Branch I'm proud of piano Branch not proud of what I'm saying right now I'm I'm proud of piano BR I'm proud of piano bench and am I too late there set it first time oh yeah I would don't to look up Petra cor Petra cor a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm dry Le weather [Music] um earthy scent produced by rain falls on dry soil when a raindrop lands on a porous surface air from the pores form small bubbles which float to the surface and release aerosols such aerosols carry the scent as well as bacteria and viruses from the soil raindrops that move at a slower rate tend to produce more aerosols this serves as an explanation for why petor is more common after light rains members of the acomi gram positive bacteria responsible for producing these aerosols the human nose is sensitive to GEOS geosman geosman and is able to detect it a concentrations as low as4 parts per billion AO I don't know none of that helped me it's interesting let's look at this acetes no this is this is not helping me well I don't know I piano and Mi too it's supposed to be Mi too late and it's rain oh my gosh I just had a wrong letter there all right well that did help me this is shrug and it's supposed to be unto okay I I wasn't sure about onto or unto to be fair ready goo um acknowledge wordlessly nod to what is this it might cause some unsurprised looks I don't know lab report bowwow good ready good bye good I don't know oh Botox that's fun unsurprised looks brought back ooh with ending an X like relax but not um I don't know this is probably an e though right H it could be an a I don't think it would be an I could be an o yeah I don't know Bow Wow I think I I think that's true um pregnancy increments I don't know what they're looking for here dine um large wedding band say opulent no doesn't fit uh bills might pass in this for short not so stately tree okay Louisville River the Ohio River okay that's one way to clue Ohio creature popular popularized entails a some other Goose still don't know those in the air type unmoved by ethical arguments see a lot of these are not ones that I would want to like Google CU it's just going to come up with the crossword clue insert as a video in a post I don't get it I still don't get the theme ready good something uh limb par singer James railing post scrape out I'd like to know what this Disney World castle thing is I I'm so confident in otaku maybe I shouldn't be but Towers doesn't work because Towers isn't one of 27 one of 27 would be maybe there's names of the towers let me look up the tower names Disney Tower names each Tower at Disneyland hotel has a unique name um uh Cinderella Cinderella tower names let's see um see Tower total 27 Towers each numbered 1 to 2 29 13 and 17 were cancelled um that's interesting they're numbered n mbb number is this number I don't know if it would be number um could be i' i' love to know what this Sushi order is Sushi order topped with salmon progress markers I can't something I feel like C might be it but like so many words can go after I can't like how how is that a clue it's not they don't they want you to not get it um not so each how am I going to make progress here I need to figure it out tender head of France is confusing me to ease like this hot Deli order meat um what else would it be Deli me deli meat meat meat meat um hot Deli menu let's see let's look at some menus I don't know this isn't going to help uh let's see head of France [Music] te no I don't understand that clue unless it is a guillotine joke um stewed not on good terms with like much Marshland track that fans flip for I I really want this Disney Tower but I don't understand the clue feet in a meter there's there's 3 point something feet in a meter what are we what are we folk rocks Mumford I'm going to make sure it's Mumford and Suns it is mford and Sun so like this is correct there's no way it doesn't end in s here Fe in a meter 3.28 3 2 um fratty stereotypes I don't get it stately tree each is this the EPA EPA test water for sure okay I might have to start revealing stuff I could check her first okay let's check her first it's not heya okay that's the only thing I had wrong um I'm going to just reveal this answer head of France T I guess it's just the word head in French oh okay this is meat maybe what is this tender soft EA limb aa oh a melt maybe life limb why is it a tect is that just because it's a theme word life par I don't know sing this singer James okay I'm going to reveal this name because I couldn't google it ETA who's James ETA ETA James oh okay from the 60s item of clothing on a prince hit okay Prince clothing Prince singer clothing starts with be beanie no there's no way belt beard no clue the castle really bothering me I'm going to put C in here and we're just going to check the puzzle again it's not C okay um oh well are we filling in the blank I think we're filling in the blank right we're not replacing I can't with so progress markers at least everything else was right other than it's not Haya maybe let's check that high aware of okay maybe I can get these two aware of I know I creature popularized by Tales of Mother Goose ogre maybe is this an ing aware of in something [Music] in Dy unmoved by ethical arguments Helen I'm going to look up Helen I missed that one a Troublesome or mischievous person huh I don't know three letters with an m in the middle pregnancy increments what do they mean by increments like I'm thinking like Milestones no clue glass blocks chip in give in on Christmas Eve perhaps goes for brought back I don't know ready Life part railing post scrape out okay I'm going to thesaurus scrape it's going to be three letters with a K in the middle h it's not in the thesaurus scrape out I'm looking at scrape out now oh there's nothing useless thesaurus has never worked um and this U is correct so it's not tower for sure I don't understand this then I'm going to put number the E is correct bills I don't know what to do here this is so hard not on good terms with like much Marshland track that fans flip for the bside yes it was the bside okay bills I'm even more confused now formost stup I don't think bide helped me what kind of bills are we talking about beaks yeah all right I don't know why I don't just use ow check but feet and a meter when I find out this clue I'm going to be annoyed I'm sure of it this has not helped me at all the Sushi order topped with salmon progress markers mile mile Stones there we go I can't lie checking all that it's I can't lie okay um okay Sushi and I'm going to do ala and see what Google auto completes Sushi ala Alamosa no sushi Alabama sushi Alaska Alaska roll okay I'm going to look that up just to double check but never heard of that Alaska roll California roll topped with Ross salmon okay never heard of that fratty stereotypes Bros feet and a meter carbs what is this gets ready for the national anthem maybe R you rise for the national anthem Rises feet in a meter I already know I don't like the clue don't know about the towers brought back still don't get the theme the stately tree an um bills might pass in this for short what is short for Congress or senate or the house is it just sen let's try sen nope I don't know not so false that F does not help me stately tree tree e trees let's see what common tree list any of these start with E three letters long none of these do list of 50 trees trees by common name um no maybe it isn't a tree elm I think it's Elm okay bills might pass in this for short Buffalo Bills is that that's football the NFL I get it but I don't like it the Buffalo Bills might pass in the NFL muffle soften we're checking that nope that's why I checked it I I am what what does I AMS mean let's look that up it's a it's a food that's where I've heard that oh but I need the B an I am is a metrical foot consisting of one short syllable followed by one long syllable like am I Amic pentameter um foremost something ends in meate I don't know this Ur has not helped me I still don't get the theme ready eacho okay I better make some progress soon I got NFL and Elm nose in the air type Helen what about this unmoved by ethical arguments amoral okay dine aware of in no nose in the air type I don't know Helen large wedding band say orchestra that fits ship in help nope I even W the letter right goes for tries that's IE though and TP doesn't make sense each might have to start revealing more letters um I tried looking this one up couldn't find it so we're just going to reveal the word turret really 27 turrets Life part did this help help me item of clothing in a prince hit I don't know let's look at Prince songs lind's cry Purple Rain All My Guitar Gently Weeps is there an item of clothing in any of these titles You Got The Look it's going to start with be Beret Raspberry Beret okay railing post don't know scrape out eek out Life part partner a limb is a life partner we're checking but yes that's all right okay I don't understand the theme clearly life partner is a limb foremost I want to do like best made or something but that's three letters a best mate stewed how am I going to get some of these ready good give in on Christmas Eve perhaps I still don't have enough for these um ready good these Clues don't even make sense like much marsh land dine end and ring large wedding band like a oakle or something no pregnancy increments is it wombs for some reason nope I have no clue I don't know what word they want I feel like it brought back I should be able to figure out but I don't know okay what am I revealing next uh I don't know muffle is not soften so what is it don't know aware of in of in in on you're in on it you're aware of it nose in the air type let's check that letter yeah it isn't in on plane jeez these are so bad Helen imp AI ring all right slowly getting these but these Clues are so weird pregnancy increments this has to be some kind of weird glass blocks three letters it's not a prism chip in I tried help give in on Christmas Eve perhaps like you you give a present open okay there's like a there's like a crossword companion I'm going to look I'll look at that see what's in there today's theme Mr Higgins has taken a fairly common cluing device and turned it on its head we typically see partner Clues not partner answers a partner clue wants you to come up with a word that is typically paired with a word in the clue separated by and for example would be the clue partner of live with the answer being learn partner of live live and learn as in live and learn the trick to solving partner Clues is to run through all the idioms you know that contain the clue word add the word and and then figure out which idiom fits Mr Higgins four theme Clues on the other hand there's four of them uh each contain only one word followed by a question mark he has provided the answer but now it's up to you to figure out the clue so partner is life and limb life and limb the clue is Limb and the answer is life partner on its face this doesn't make much sense but when you apply the partner clue rule limb as a partner to life in the phrase life and limb um okay so ready hold on good and ready and then the clue for good and ready dine oh my gosh where's the other one oopsie foremost uh first and foremost why would mate be that is that right though that's right first and foremost I would have never gotten that in my entire like I could have gotten all of the words and all of the them filled in and still not understood it mate first and foremost mate you're so your mate is your first and foremost okay and then we've got good and ready I don't know what that is wine and dine is a pairing okay glass blocks ice those are not glass ice is not made of glass um chip in give in on Christmas Eve goes for feel like SP I'm not sure can I figure out this one good and ready what does good and ready like okay let's look at what good and ready actually like means good and ready when I'm good and ready good and ready meaning idiom that means to be very prepared and ready to do something completely ready starts with b no idea so I still can't get this last theme one can I get any of these Downs stewed fumed maybe insert as a video and a post embed muffle can I get this not on good terms with in in bad that's all right like much Marshland Rey deaden brought back buddy good and ready buddy I still don't understand hold on what are the other theme entries the same rule applies except that the second word in each answer is a synonym for partner wine pairing is the answer to dine and the phrase that puts them together is wine and dine oh okay so I misunderstood so partner mate pairing and buddy so like ready is the Buddy to good limb is the partner to life okay because of the phrases I get it but holy cow probably not great for my first Thursday large wedding band say OC pregnant see increments where we where we I don't know goes for I'd like to be done now um chip in I got some letters it didn't help me weeks you're this many weeks pregnant that makes sense chip in is this another C like once no I don't know um give in on Christmas Eve perhaps Peak each what the heck large wedding band octet anti chip in is to antie goes for opt we're done all right the reveal helped this was this was the French word for head apparently ETA James singer James and and having James be the last name is really I I don't understand why this is turret I'm going to look at that Cinderella Castle turret okay so there are turrets what is turret mean in that context is this another name for Tower I didn't think it was um let's look at this here tricky Clues 20 across all right this is a language clue not a political one head of France does not refer to the president or the Prime Minister but hints at what a head is called in France the answer is T or tet or what however you pronounce that yeah not a clear language clue for me 26a 26 across bills there are two misdirected in this puzzle that mentioned types of bills this one simply clude simply as bills refers to bird beaks 50 across it might cause some unsurprised looks this was the Clue the clue of the day for me the answer to it might cause some unsurprised looks is Botox which supposedly Smooths patients foreheads but also leaves them with an inability to raise their eyebrows nose in the air type plane I didn't like that one uh railing post sounds like something you might attach to a railing but to rail also means to rant as one might do in social media post I didn't even notice that that ended up being rant pets may be excellent rewards for good boy but my dog is very food motivated with the words track and flipped I knew the clue track that fans flip for was hinting at vinyl records it was bside yeah I actually figured that one out 44 down at first I thought the answer to bills might pass in this for short it might be ATM okay but that didn't match the crossings it turns out that the bills in this case are the Buffalo Bills I did figure that out NFL after getting two of the letters lab report yeah I knew it would have to do with dogs I just didn't know what to fill in at the time but I did figure out bowwow um the album is brat glass blocks these are translucent building bricks that were popular until the early 2000s but now that seems to be making someone a comeback but the clue is misleading these glass blocks are blocks in a glass and the answer is ice blocks in a glass or ice ice blocks go in a glass okay so not saying it's made of glass it's saying it goes in a glass like a cup okay this was really hard even with a bunch of reveals and Googles I still had trouble finishing it well I hope you enjoyed this I'm happy for any feedback and how'd you do [Music] a [Music]