# Great Debates and the NY Times puzzle **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** board-card-word-game\ **Created:** [July 21, 2024, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-debates-and-the-ny-times-puzzle/1004527 "2024-07-21T11:59:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2024, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-debates-and-the-ny-times-puzzle/1004527/1 "2024-07-21T11:59:56Z")
I know others here do the NY Times puzzle. I just want to say that participating in GD for all these years made today’s puzzle a piece of cake. I’m just filling in the long clues. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2024, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-debates-and-the-ny-times-puzzle/1004527/2 "2024-07-22T18:44:22Z")
(Preamble: I presume the OP is talking about the NYT daily crossword) I heartily endorse the basic principle that spending time on the Dope vastly enhances my solving skills. I’m more of a Pitizen than a Great Debater, myself. Were I more of a habitué of Cafe Society, I suspect I’d even be more adept with the pop-cultural clues. I’m good with _James who sings “At Last”_ (ETTA), and I can usually determine whether a three-letter rapper is going to be “LIL” or “NAS,” but who the hell is Nikki Minaj? ETA: This isn’t CS, so please, no one should feel called upon to answer that. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2024, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-debates-and-the-ny-times-puzzle/1004527/3 "2024-07-22T18:51:57Z")
haha, me too. “No True Scotsman” was the gimme; all the others came to mind with just a little thought. Many, many people online complaining about the obscurity of logical fallacies, especially the one in (gasp) _Latin!_ ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-debates-and-the-ny-times-puzzle/1004527/4 "2024-07-22T19:01:49Z")
I think that was my first one, too. After that, I went through the list. I got the Latin one without any cross clues filled in at all. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2024, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-debates-and-the-ny-times-puzzle/1004527/5 "2024-07-22T23:30:31Z")
To help me be fully competent at the NYT crossword, the Straight Dope would have to have to add the following Categories: The Spanish Language Jewish Culture Rapper Names Scholastic Aptitude Tests Ivy League Colleges ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2024, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-debates-and-the-ny-times-puzzle/1004527/6 "2024-07-23T10:16:16Z")
Three-letter sports figures and entertainers… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2024, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-debates-and-the-ny-times-puzzle/1004527/7 "2024-07-24T12:49:08Z")
I don’t get the NYT puzzle until a two or three week delay. Usually, that’s not an issue, since it’s still one per day, but it makes discussions like this annoying. Anyone care to share the key clues? (answers should be spoilered, if given at all, of course). ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2024, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-debates-and-the-ny-times-puzzle/1004527/8 "2024-07-24T12:57:03Z")
Sure, from Rex Parker’s [blog](https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2024/07/fills-as-moving-van-sun-7-21-24-river.html) (answers removed - clues only, but you will find the answers at the link, so only click if you want to see them): Theme answers: - [**All crossword fans love this puzzle; anyone who doesn’t love this puzzle can’t be a _real_ crossword fan!]** - [**Why was this chosen as today’s puzzle? Because it’s great! What makes it great? I mean, it was chosen for publication!]** - **[I sent this crossword to 100 friends, and two of them really liked it!]** - [W**hat’s more, one of those friends won the lottery right after solving it — coincidence? I think not!]** - [**If you criticize this puzzle, where will it end? Before long, you’ll be criticizing your mother’s cooking!]** - **[Besides, The New York Times said it was good!]** - **[Part of a flawed argument, examples of which are seen throughout this puzzle]** ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2024, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-debates-and-the-ny-times-puzzle/1004527/9 "2024-07-24T13:11:44Z")
OK, a couple of those, I’m not sure whether to use the English or Latin terms, but that’d be easily-enough cleared up from the grid. Yeah, I like it. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2024, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-debates-and-the-ny-times-puzzle/1004527/10 "2024-07-24T15:28:03Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > [W**hat’s more, one of those friends won the lottery right after solving it — coincidence? I think not!]** Okay, but none of my visitors are going to be able to understand my crossword. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2024, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-debates-and-the-ny-times-puzzle/1004527/11 "2024-07-24T16:23:54Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > haha, me too. “No True Scotsman” was the gimme; all the others came to mind with just a little thought. Many, many people online complaining about the obscurity of logical fallacies, especially the one in (gasp) _Latin!_ I recognized the Latin phrase from The West Wing.