New York Times, Tuesday, July 9, 2019

I remember considering a puzzle about redundant phrases a couple years ago and being disappointed when it turned out the theme had been done before. However, that puzzle was on a Saturday almost twenty years ago, so I decided to give it a shot with (mostly) different phrases. This theme would certainly not be considered for a Saturday today, and it almost seems appropriate that a puzzle about redundant, repetitive, superfluous phrases is not entirely fresh!

I enjoy learning something about the history of phrases like this, so I looked them up on Google Ngram Viewer. PAST HISTORY seems to be the oldest of the group, coming in around the mid-1800's, and TAXI CAB became popular around 1920. BUNNY RABBIT took off in 1940 near the 7/27/40 debut of Bugs Bunny, and CASH MONEY came into common usage around 1945. RAT FINK took off in 1965 after Ed "Big Daddy" Roth created a "hot rod" character with that name as an anti-hero vs. Mickey Mouse.

Hope solvers enjoy the puzzle!

I get a lot of theme review requests, and I see a lot of the same ideas popping up over and over. Redundant phrases is in my top ten list, as is its evil twin, paradoxical phrases. So after uncovering just one themer, PAST HISTORY, I knew what was going on, and the rest was, well, history.

However, Jim reminded me a few weeks ago that I'm hardly an average solver. There will be some (many?) newer solvers who have never encountered this theme idea before. Some of them might even be impressed at seeing something new in a phrase they've used over and over, like BUNNY RABBIT. Could be quite the wascally a-ha moment.

I did enjoy so many of the bonuses, as I'd expect out of any Haight puzzle these days. So much packed into those corners — YES OR NO, THINK SO?, TAX SCAM, GRAB BAG, AIR TIME. All of that helped entertain me through the solve.

Today's grid wasn't as strong as Bruce's usual standard of work, though. It is solid — better than average NYT quality — but SEGAR made me pause. Then NOYES. Then ARIE. All of these are fair game, at least considering that the crossings are perfectly gettable. As a whole, though, these have too much potential to leave a newer solver with the sense that the puzzle was weird.

(Whenever my kids say that something is weird, that's the kiss of death.)

After ten years of being friends, Jim continues to surprise me. A few weeks ago, he averred that ASHMAN ought to be fair game, even for early-week puzzles. For today's, he avowed that SEGAR should never be seen in an early-week puzzle. I agree with the latter (and still roll my eyes — in a respectful way of course — at the former.)

In general, if a theme idea is covered by tons of lists out in the intertubes, it's not going to do much for me. But again, newbs could have a different experience, so it's a reasonable puzzle theme. Just as long as it doesn't trigger budding constructors to spam me even more with this kind of thing.

Ha ha!

Seriously, stop.