The mascot of a college beaver is a popular topic that has appeared in the New York Times Crossword puzzle. The crossword puzzle, known for its clever and sometimes tricky clues, often features themes related to a wide range of subjects, including sports teams and their mascots. The beaver, a large semi-aquatic rodent, is a common mascot choice for colleges and universities. Known for its industrious nature and ability to build intricate dams, the beaver symbolizes hard work and determination. In the crossword puzzle, the clue might ask for the mascot of a certain college, and the answer could be "beaver." This clue could be part of a larger theme that includes other college mascots or could stand alone as an individual clue.
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium
childish debate represented by IS NOT and IS TOO is represented aurally in the wacky theme answers, where the IS sound is either added to or subtracted from familiar names and phrases. Hardest part of the puzzle for me by far was the front end of SYMBOLIC LOGIC never heard of it only got SYMBOLIC, in the end, because it s a word I could recognize.
" This clue could be part of a larger theme that includes other college mascots or could stand alone as an individual clue. The use of college mascots in crossword puzzles adds an element of fun and challenge for crossword enthusiasts. It requires not only knowledge of the specific college mascot, but also the ability to piece together the crossword puzzle as a whole.
Mascot of a college beaver nyt crossword
Constructor: Rebecca Goldstein and Rafael Musa
Relative difficulty: Medium
THEME: "About Two Feet" — not sure what phrase the title is supposed to be punning on? . but the basic idea is that different shoe types occupy two tiers of squares, resulting in BIG (because two rows tall?) SHOES TO FILL (115A: High standards established by a predecessor . or what you are presented with in this puzzle?):
- "T HEEL EPHANTMAN"
- W HEEL ESTATE (22A: 1980 film that led to the creation of the Academy Award for Best Makeup / 26A: Mobile homes, punnily)
- TOLL BOOT HS
- PIRATES BOOT Y (32A: Coin toss spots, once / 39A: What "X" could mark on a map)
- SYMBOLI CLOG IC
- NB CLOG O (69A: In which "P or Q, but not both" is represented as (P∨Q)∧¬(P∧Q) / 74A: Peacock seen on TV)
- "YOU FLAT TERME"
- DECA FLAT TE (95A: "Stop, I'm blushing" / 103A: Evening coffee order)
Oster is the author of three books, Expecting Better, The Family Firm, and Cribsheet, which discuss a data-driven approach to decision-making in pregnancy and parenting. (wikipedia)
As I indicated yesterday, the write-up is going to be a little short today because I'm tired from driving much of the day. Woke up at 4, solved and blogged, fed cats and ate breakfast, then drove to Saratoga Springs to visit my wife (away at a writer's workshop), then bopped around the town for a bit, then drove home again. During the return journey, I was daydreaming or otherwise up in my head and missed the 88 turnoff and was heading toward *&$%-ing Utica (!?) when I realized everything looked . wrong. Had to take a detour through the backwoodsiest parts of central NY to finally rejoin the 88 and then home feed cats dinner Manhattan and now solving / writing. Blog drive enjoy Saratoga Springs drive blog, that's the day. So my brain does not feel fully up to evaluating / discussing this puzzle. I think I don't quite get the theme. I do get that the shoes are "big" in that they are two stories tall. It's weird, though—since the "shoes" don't occupy one cell, but two different cells, one atop the other, it's more like . two shoes than "big shoes." And I don't understand the title. What is "About Two Feet" playing on? My Left Foot? About a Boy? Two Left Feet? I feel sure there's a pun in there somewhere, but I can't see it. I keep saying it out loud, over and over: nothing. Anyway, clearly I don't fully appreciate this theme. A few of the theme answers are very nice (" YOU FLATTER ME," THE ELEPHANT MAN ), but the theme itself . I mean which is it? Are there two feet, or is there just one big shoe? I guess . two feet in the Acrosses, one big shoe in the Downs? NBC LOGO feels forced (fine as clue for PEACOCK, not as an answer unto itself). I've never heard WHEEL ESTATE . Ever. I like it. But it feels made-up. And yet I like it. I want it to be real. So let's say it's real. I actually appreciate the weirdness of the whole theme concept today, but there's something in the execution that just doesn't quite come together for me. Big shoes v. two shoes? What am I supposed to be seeing here?
The things I really like about the grid are smaller, mid-range answers like " BUT WHY ?" and TECH HUB and even RED DWARF, PROP BETS and AUTOPAY . Hardest part of the puzzle for me by far was the front end of SYMBOLIC LOGIC (never heard of it—only got SYMBOLIC, in the end, because it's a word I could recognize). The crosses were almost ungettable for me. That NYT clue was baffling to me (61D: Sullivan's opponent in a landmark free speech case: Abbr.) as was this AMOS person, of whom I've never heard (62D: Stephen K. ___, British stand-up comedian). OTOE required first and fourth crosses (73A: ___-Missouria Tribe). So that section was a yikes. Nothing else really rose to the level of threat. No idea about OSTER , so that bottom section could've been dicey, but the crosses were all fair. Had LIE-INS before DIE-INS , so got a bit flustered there (100D: Attention-grabbing protests). It seems like you can spell LAH-DI-DAH all kinds of ways (with and without the various "H"s), so that was interesting (87A: Highfalutin). But overall, it was pretty doable. I mostly enjoyed the solve. Just wish the theme had clicked better for me. Hope you dug the theme more than I did. My cats are screaming at me now, so I gotta go.
Oh, one last thing. It's a new month, so time to highlight the best NYTXW puzzles of last month (two themed puzzles, and one themeless). So here it is, the Best of June 2023:
- Themed : David, Karen & Paul Steinberg, "Reducing Fractions" (Thu., Jun. 1); Rafael Musa, "Flying Colors" (Sun., Jun. 4)
- Themeless : Kunal Nabar (MONOPOLY MONEY, MAGICAL REALISM, PALATE CLEANSER, PEOPLE PLEASER) (Fri., Jun. 23)
See you tomorrow.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
P.S. Calling asana "angles" is bizarre (46D: Angles above 90 degrees? = HOT YOGA ). Yes, Triangle Pose exists. Still. Bizarre.
P.P.S. Thanks to an invite code from a generous reader, I’m now over at Blue Sky. Hope to see some of you there 😘
How many solutions does Collegiate Beaver Mascot Whose Name Is Its School Spelled Backward Crossword Clue have?
Overall, the inclusion of the mascot of a college beaver in the New York Times Crossword puzzle provides a unique and interesting twist to the puzzle-solving experience..
Reviews for "Behind the Scenes of a College Mascot: Life as a Beaver"
- Jane - 1/5 - The "Mascot of a College Beaver" NYT crossword puzzle was a complete disappointment. I mean, really? A college beaver? How is that even a thing? I found the clues to be completely obscure and unrelated to the theme. And the fact that the answers were all related to beavers just made it even worse. I couldn't relate to any of the clues or answers, and it made the entire puzzle feel like a waste of time. Definitely not recommended.
- Mike - 2/5 - I was really excited to try out the "Mascot of a College Beaver" crossword puzzle, but it ended up being a bit underwhelming. The theme was definitely unique, I'll give it that, but it felt forced and unnatural. The clues were also a bit too obscure for my liking, and I found myself constantly resorting to the internet to find the right answers. Overall, it was an okay puzzle, but definitely not one of my favorites.
- Sarah - 1/5 - I absolutely hated the "Mascot of a College Beaver" NYT crossword puzzle. The theme was ridiculous and made no sense to me whatsoever. I couldn't understand why a college would choose a beaver as their mascot, let alone a crossword puzzle dedicated to it. The clues were also incredibly difficult, and I found myself completely lost more often than not. I definitely would not recommend wasting your time on this puzzle.
- Tom - 2/5 - The "Mascot of a College Beaver" NYT crossword puzzle was a bit disappointing. The theme was interesting, I'll give it that, but it felt a bit forced. The clues were also quite challenging, and I found myself struggling to complete the puzzle. Overall, it was an okay crossword, but nothing extraordinary.