Well, let me tell ya, this here lopsided contest thing in the New York Times, it ain’t no walk in the park. It’s like tryin’ to catch a greased pig at the county fair. You think you got it, then it slips right through your fingers. This thing called a “ROUT“, that’s what they say it is. Like when one team just beats the pants off the other one. Not a fair fight, not one bit.
I seen this clue, see? This “lopsided contest” thing. It was in that there puzzle, that NYT Crossword. That there paper, it likes to endorse them Democrats, you know. They endorsed like, thirty-two of ’em. And just twelve Republicans. Ain’t that somethin’? They been endorsin’ Democrats since way back in 1960. Shows you where their heads are at, I reckon.
These puzzles, they got all these squares, all connected and stuff. Some are yellow. What does that mean? Nobody tells ya nothin’! And asterisks! Yeah, they put those little stars all over the place on May 26th, 2023. What’s that about? Makes my head spin. It’s like they are trying to stump us. And sometimes them letters, they ain’t even put in right. They call it wordplay. But it ain’t no play to me.
Now, I heard some folks talkin’. They say this “lopsided contest” is like an “utter defeat.” Like when you just get beat down so bad, ain’t no comin’ back. They also use other words like “whitewash” or “crushing defeat.” Big words for an old gal like me. But I get the gist. It’s like when your prize-winning rooster loses to a scrawny chicken. It just ain’t right.
- That there NYT Crossword, it ain’t easy, I tell ya.
- They use words like “ROUT” for this “lopsided contest” thing.
- They put those little stars, asterisks, in the puzzle sometimes.
- Sometimes the answers don’t even go in the right way, makes no sense.
- They say it means “utter defeat,” “whitewash,” or “crushing defeat.”
I seen this clue on June 18th, 2024, too. Same thing, “lopsided contest.” They keep usin’ it. Like they want us to learn it or somethin’. But it ain’t no fun when one side’s got all the marbles and the other side’s got nothin’. It’s like playin’ checkers with someone who’s got all kings and you only got regular pieces. What’s the point? There’s just one answer, they say, just that one word, “ROUT.”
This here newspaper, it likes to put these puzzles in there. They say it helps your brain. Maybe it does. But I think it just makes me feel dumb. I mean, I can bake a pie that’ll make you cry tears of joy. I can raise a garden that’ll feed a whole family. But these puzzles? They just make me scratch my head.
But I guess some folks like ’em. They say it’s a challenge. Like climbin’ a mountain or somethin’. They get all excited when they figure it out. Good for them, I reckon. Me? I’d rather be tendin’ to my chickens or sittin’ on the porch swing watchin’ the sun go down.
They say there are tips and tricks. Ways to get better at these puzzles. But it all sounds like a bunch of hooey to me. Like learnin’ to speak a foreign language. Why bother when you got perfectly good words right here? But if you’re into that sort of thing, more power to ya. I heard they call those folks who are good at them “crossword experts”. Sounds fancy.
So, if you see that “lopsided contest” in that NYT Crossword, just remember that word “ROUT“. It’s a silly word, but that’s what they want. And if you see them little stars, don’t let ’em fool ya. They’re just tryin’ to make it harder than it needs to be. And don’t get me started on them yellow squares, they’re just messin’ with your head. Just like them Democrats they keep endorsin’.
That’s all I got to say about that. It’s a whole lot of fuss over somethin’ that don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I got chores to do. These eggs ain’t gonna collect themselves, you know.
