Tuesday April 16th 2019, NY Times Crossword

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Time: 10:37
Tuesday Average: 12:53
Best Tuesday: 5:01

I suppose there are quite a few ways to spell out a "kay" sound or at least four of them as this puzzle demonstrates. I love the words COMMUNIQUE and SOBRIQUET to start out. ARE YOU OKAY is fine but a bit boring. But then there's MURRAY THE K, who apparently was a DJ who referred to himself as the "fifth Beatle." Whoever that clue is for, it's not me. But, apparently in addition to being an early advocate for The Beatles, Murray also was a fan of Dylan when he went electric, so I bet he'd be fun to hang out with.

Outside of the theme, there were quite a few clues and answers that had me scratching my head. I wasn't familiar with "May-December marriages," which apparently feature large AGE GAPS between spouses. Even more oddly, the agreed upon number for that disparity is 11 years for some reason.

I'm trying to read the wikipedia entry about RACEME and I'm completely lost in botany-speak. I think it's essentially a shoot (but not a spike) of colorful flowers. I'll tentatively try it out next time I see one. And probably mispronounce it too.

Finally, I'm thrilled to be reminded of the best Simpsons episode, Last Exit to Springfield, by the clue "Hired toughs" to yield GOONS. Hired goons? 

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