What is the answer to 46 Across in today's NY Times puzzle?

Factual Questions
1

It has to be “no to nothing”

But…

The clue for 43 down is “Make whole” and the answer has to be “mend”

This morphs the answer of 46A to “no to nEthing” which makes no sense at all. (My emphasis.)

Now of course I am well aware that I am certain to be dead wrong on this. Will Shortz doesn’t let idiotic typos occur in his puzzle column.

So, even though I’ll be deeply embarrassed, please tell me where I am messing up.

2

What’s the clue to 46 across? We don’t get the NY Times in Debrecen…

3

We don’t get it in Ireland either. Gi’s a clue!

4

Possibly it’s related to the more or less common phrase, “next to nothing?”

5

Could it be that “no to nothing” is two negatives which make a positive and that “no to nEthing” phonetically sounds like “no to anything” which is grammatically correct?

Or am I being fanciful - no knowledge of the nuances of the NY Times crossword compiler’s usual nuances here, either, funnily enough!

6

Hmmm - how about “Make hole” => “join” - that gives you the O that you need. Does that fit?

7

:smack: “Make whole”.

Cool, we’re attempting a crossword we can’t see, from a clue we don’t know.

8

Correct answer or not, that’s good thinking. As I recall, the puzzle constructor (Will Shortz) is famous for wordplay, such as “N-E-thing” = anything.

9

“not one thing” is the answer, obviously

10

I don’t need no stinkin’ clues!

11

Curly Chick is a genius! NO TO NE THING has to be it. :smack:

Today’s is a theme puzzle which is ZIP.

That is, ZIP is the clue for 20, 25, 46 and 50 across.

The answers are:

  1. MOVE AT HIGH SPEED
  2. KIND OF DRIVE
  3. NO TO NE THING (Thanks again, CC.)
  4. PART OF AN ADDRESS
    To the rest, I apologize for not including more info. I simply didn’t want to make a federal case of it.
12

Curly Chick is a genius! no to ne thing has to be it.

Today’s is a theme puzzle which is ZIP.

That is, ZIP is the clue for 20, 25, 46 and 50 across.

The answers are:

  1. MOVE AT HIGH SPEED
  2. KIND OF DRIVE
  3. NO TO NE THING
  4. PART OF AN ADDRESS
    I was aiming at people who do the NYT puzzles.
13

Yeah, but I still think Stinkpop is right. Not one thing = zip (zero, nada).

14

Yeah! I’m right! I’m the genius! Eat my Will Shortz!

15

“Not one thing” makes much more sense IMO.

16

Stinkpop, why don’t we share the genuis status?

Antiochus, as the OP, twice bestowed it on me (shucks, thanks, A, so I see no reason why you can’t have the spare one.

It is more than likely I’ll say something daft fairly shortly to completely negate my genius status, so then you can have it all to yourself.

Whaddyasay?

17

Well, that didn’t take long. You can be the “genuis” and I’ll be the “genius” and everything will be right in the world. M’kay?

18

Good grief, that’s a record, even for me.
From the dizzy heights of genius to the stifling depths of genuis in 44 minutes.

That’ll teach me to be noble and offer a share in my good fortune - the mantle is yours, kiddo. Use it wisely.

Well, wisely-er than me, anyway.