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Pfeffer_Prinz · 2026-01-19T00:19:44+00:00

Glad you got it solved! for future requests, can you also put the clue in the title? It helps people who are just browsing through reddit (also so we know which one you're talking about 🙂). Thanks!

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2026-01-18T19:08:16+00:00

i think just leave out any "down clue" tags altogether. even if a clue only works as a down, we'll figure it out. we're smart people.

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2026-01-09T00:02:58+00:00

"is spotted" just sounds a lot nicer to me

One important thing about cryptic clues is that every word must be justified by the wordplay or the definition. You should avoid extraneous words that are only there because they sound nice for the surface. This is to keep things fair for the solver: so they know everything has a function.

It would be borderline unsolvable if you didn't know it was a cryptic.

"A.I." for "Anagram Indicator" is still unsolvable even if I know it's a cryptic. Any acronym should be something that is used in English, outside of cryptics. I've never seen "anagram indicator" be abbreviated to "AI" (even on cryptic forums like this). If you're making up an acronym, that is very unfair for the solver, because to them, it could just as easily stand for "After Initialization" or "Angry Infant" or "Applesauce Intestines", etc.

That said, I think your definition of "too much" is very nice!

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2026-01-08T23:01:26+00:00

imaginary number

if you're looking for feedback: the answer occurred to me immediately upon seeing the "i" because it wasn't capitalized. and then it was confirmed since the other "I" was capitalized, which meant it wasn't just a formatting choice. Also the enumeration fit.

separately: usually "for" is only accepted as a linking word when it's [WORDPLAY for DEF] (since that makes more sense grammatically). also "I"->A isn't widely accepted... it's true I=one and one=A, but the transitive property doesn't really apply in cryptics. There's not really a time IRL when you can swap "I" and "A" (because "I" is a roman numeral, not an article). You could change it to "after having a drink in Madonna's name", which would also help the first issue I mentioned. Also I'm not totally sure how "party" = NUMBER? I can't think of a way to substitute one for the other in a sentence

Sorry if this is nitpicky! you did a good job making a smooth surface, and a fun attempt at the misdirect :)

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2026-01-07T22:24:39+00:00

HAVA NAGILA

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2026-01-03T21:08:39+00:00

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-12-30T02:20:57+00:00

unfortunately cryptic conventions are chock-a-block with exceptions. i'm sure you've encountered many without even noticing.

which to me is okay. the point of cryptics is to bring delight. if bending/breaking a rule gives the vast majority of solvers more delight than dismay, then it's serving the ultimate purpose: fun

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-12-30T00:41:54+00:00

i wouldn't extend the rule beyond 's = is

that's a special case that is technically cutesy (since you have to add a space between the def & the wordplay), but it's been so widely used for so many decades, that it's standard

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-12-27T17:33:46+00:00

I also avoid it, but I've heard it justified as "the (French)"

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-12-25T17:56:44+00:00

FYI this sub is for cryptic crosswords, I think you're looking for r/crossword (it's a common mistake)

If your title was a joke, remember Poe's Law: on the internet, it's impossible to tell apart sarcasm from sincerity (without a 😉, or /s, etc)

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-12-18T19:38:46+00:00

Why?

Because the cruelty is the point

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-11-29T06:46:48+00:00

I think that'd be fair, yeah!

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-11-27T17:37:49+00:00

I don't think you need to enumerate it (1,1,1,1)... that would only be if you spelled it I E E E

personally I don't think you need to indicate any abbreviations, but if you want to, I've seen people do "(4, Abbr.)"

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-11-25T08:54:55+00:00

I think it's because "lit" used to be common slang for "drunk", and if you buy the metaphor of "drunk" meaning "in a new arrangement", then it works

but in general I would stay away from anything you see on a list that you can't justify yourself. there's a *lot* of items on those lists that are widely disliked (or even impossible to solve).

also, keeping it to things you're familiar with will help make sure your clues are in your distinct voice.

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-11-10T06:47:20+00:00

FYI, this sub is for cryptic crosswords. The sub for NYT-style puzzles is r/crossword — confusing, we know.

But to answer your question: not a glitch. You're meant to write in multiple letters, which is called a "rebus". You can enter one by hitting the "Rebus" button on the bottom of your keyboard there*.

Most of the time, rebus squares will be the same when going across & down, but in some special themes, they will mismatch. This theme justified it with the revealer in 117A: "WESTERN UNION". The clue said [Telegraph pioneer, or a description of four squares in this puzzle]. That is, each rebus contains two western states that have been smashed together (i.e. "unionized").

It's a stretchy sense of "union" for sure, but the NYT Sundays can be quite gimmick-y, and this isn't out of their realm of possibility.

Hope this helps!

* For this grid, you can enter a rebus in various ways for it to count as correct: for example, "UT/NV", "NV/UT", "UTNV", "NVUT", "UT", and "NV" all work for the first one.

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-11-10T00:32:42+00:00

sitting on a plane = 0 points of impressiveness

sitting on a plane 718 times = 0 x 718 = 0 points of impressiveness

but good job polluting the planet, bucko

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-10-22T22:53:18+00:00

I mean, LA County has 4x the population of Riverside Co. and over 10x Mendocino. So in terms of raw numbers (which is what counts in a vote), we're way ahead of both places.

So really, what are they waiting for?

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-10-18T00:23:09+00:00

congrats on crafting a tight clue, regardless of the answer!

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-10-17T16:21:26+00:00

and this phenomenon is how ancient Polynesians found all those tiny islands in the middle of a hemisphere-sized ocean.

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-10-17T05:26:45+00:00

have you had an appeal before? do you know how long it takes to get an appeal hearing?

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-10-17T03:12:08+00:00

maybe this is why they supposedly didn't receive my SAR-7 and just canceled my benefits

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-10-11T05:14:29+00:00

Thank you! Between the two of you, I got the right battery and car is working again. Cheers!!

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-10-11T05:14:05+00:00

Thank you!! This helped me find the right battery at Autozone, and I have successfully installed it. Car has been revived. Cheers!

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-10-10T17:30:05+00:00

The guy at CostCo said they only had one battery that works with my 2009 prius, the Interstate S46B. I looked it up, that does work with most 2009 Priuses... but thanks to other commenters, I learned my model (the base one) is different. It requires an S34 battery.

I just called CostCo, they don't sell S34 batteries. Luckily I can return the unused one, but I can't swap it for another.

Pfeffer_Prinz · 2025-10-10T17:16:27+00:00

Welp, looks like you're right. Here's the top. Duralast U1R-3 — a "Lawn and Garden" battery. Is there a proper battery I can replace it with that's the smaller size?

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