"First and Foremost" - August 16, 2019

[Tom Wilson]

Is it just me, or is 9D in today's NYT puzzle a stumper?

[Doug C]

I have submitted my entry but really don't feel like it is a !00%.

[Jeremy Smith]

Thanx and a tip o'the hat to you Bob, the innovator. You threw the pass I simply grabbed it and ran. (by the way it will be interesting to see how many of you recognize the "Thanx and a ....")

Would that be the Hatlo hat?

[Emmaa]

Hooray! Its official. I finally got my first meta!
It was a straight forward meta, and WARREN HARDING, just as I hoped this time.
Ahhhhh, so this is what it feels like!
Thanks, muggles, for all the encouragement.

Uh, You may now resume your previous activities.

[DrTom]

Thanx and a tip o'the hat to you Bob, the innovator. You threw the pass I simply grabbed it and ran. (by the way it will be interesting to see how many of you recognize the "Thanx and a ....")

Would that be the Hatlo hat?

It would indeed, I guess we must have read the same funny papers. By the way have you noticed how the funny papers just are not that funny anymore? I bought a local Sunday paper the other day and was so disappointed; Dagwood with a computer, Nancy's Aunt Trixie with a short haircut, tsk, tsk, tsk. I could have tolerated some updating if they had at least kept things amusing. Guess I'll stick to New Yorker cartoons.

[Eric Porter]

I would have been shocked if the answer wasn't Warren Harding. "First and Foremost" meant to focus on the first names. (I actually submitted "Warren G. Harding" so it's a good thing they're checked by a human.)

We've seen many puzzles where the part not in the puzzle spells out something. You have to then apply the same transformation one final time. There's only been one president with the first name of Warren.

For those of you who were unsure, what were your other guesses?

Edit: I'd actually thought of Earl Warren before Warren Harding, but quickly realized that he didn't fit the pattern.

[DrTom]

Well, Warren Harding, glad I held that razor to my throat! I vacillated (as I am sure many did) between Warren Harding and Earl Warren. The Warren was easy, and the First obviously referred to the FIRST name (foremost I am still wondering about), as the rest of the puzzle had. But I ran into trouble because Earl Warren was the 14th Supreme Court Justice (First and FOURmost), was one of the foremost defenders of the 1st Amendment etc. but I had to make fewer assumptions to chose Mr. Harding. Elizabeth Warren never entered the bidding because she was not a former politician. Then there was Warren Peays - oh, no wait that's a book...

[hcbirker]

Well, Warren Harding, glad I held that razor to my throat! I vacillated (as I am sure many did) between Warren Harding and Earl Warren. The Warren was easy, and the First obviously referred to the FIRST name (foremost I am still wondering about), as the rest of the puzzle had. But I ran into trouble because Earl Warren was the 14th Supreme Court Justice (First and FOURmost), was one of the foremost defenders of the 1st Amendment etc. but I had to make fewer assumptions to chose Mr. Harding. Elizabeth Warren never entered the bidding because she was not a former politician. Then there was Warren Peays - oh, no wait that's a book...

But all the other entries were presidents. So it was a slam dunk. (Heidi)

[Jeremy Smith]

I would have been shocked if the answer wasn't Warren Harding. "First and Foremost" meant to focus on the first names. (I actually submitted "Warren G. Harding" so it's a good thing they're checked by a human.)

We've seen many puzzles where the part not in the puzzle spells out something. You have to then apply the same transformation one final time. There's only been one president with the first name of Warren.

For those of you who were unsure, what were your other guesses?

I ultimately submitted Warren Harding, which had been my original answer. I hesitated only because George Washington could be considered the “first and foremost” president.
Because the first letter of the last names spelled out “Warren,” I thought that would have been too much of a coincidence, and possibly a flawed meta, if Harding was not the answer (and except for the Maine/New Mexico meta, I’ve found Matt’s metas to be straightforward and not subject to more than one interpretation).

[Richard]

My only issue was I thought it was too easy.
Woodrow, Chester, Dwight had to be Presidential first names.

I got WARREN right away, thought of Earl but dismissed it and had to be Harding.

The last one this "easy" for me was the infamous "pageant" which I got wrong. Actually played around with First Ladies but that got nowhere so I went with Warren Harding.

[Joe Ross]

Total whiff, here. I looked at every letter combination possible, except the correct & obvious. Truly feeling like a fool, for I am. It was there. It was easy. It made the answer 100% clear.

"Noted politician" had me looking for politicians on bank, US Treasury, & Federal Reserve notes.

My "obvious" first and foremost choice - which was first and foremost in my mind before finishing the second theme answer - was George Washington, first president (all theme answers held first names of US presidents) and on the current $1 bill, foremost in the series.

My second, "known by +/-10%" choice was Salmon P. Chase, the politician on the first $1 bill, that denomination being the foremost in that series.

My third "sleeper" choice was Ben Franklin, the first politician on a note, the $5 bill, the foremost bill of that series, before the $2 bill, then $1 bills were created.

The choice was between the word "politician" in the puzzle answer description and that all themed answers related to presidents.

o/~
Blinded to what's right
Tripped up like a deuce
Another poster in the night
o/~

[darthdriessen]

Too easy is what I felt as well. Got it right, but figured another step might be needed to achieve 100% confidence.

[MaineMarge]

This would have been a perfect week to submit Five Guys. I almost did. In an effort to find a different answer than the obvious WGH, or Earl Warren, I dug for the mug in the George (first) rabbit hole- looking for George H. W. Bush. Same name as the first president, first of the 2 George Bushes, most especially because he was “noted” for being a prolific writer of handwritten notes. I read golf into FOREmost, and golf was his game. No green jacket in that rabbit hole.
I really wanted it to be Warren Buffett- never has there been a more decent billionaire. FOREmost in every category. But hold the politics.
I went with Harding.

[MaineMarge]

P.S. Actually Bill Gates is tied with Buffett for the most decent billionaire award, IMO. You go, Guys.

[FrankieHeck]

I would have been shocked if the answer wasn't Warren Harding. "First and Foremost" meant to focus on the first names. (I actually submitted "Warren G. Harding" so it's a good thing they're checked by a human.)

We've seen many puzzles where the part not in the puzzle spells out something. You have to then apply the same transformation one final time. There's only been one president with the first name of Warren.

For those of you who were unsure, what were your other guesses?

Edit: I'd actually thought of Earl Warren before Warren Harding, but quickly realized that he didn't fit the pattern.

My only reluctance was whether to submit "Harding," "Warren G. Harding," or "Warren Harding." I chose "Warren Harding." That's why I like metas that ask for 5-letter words, etc. I worry about the little details of submission. Because I really want a mug

[ArnoldMBrockman]

I Don't Believe It ! There Really Is A Better Answer To This Weeks Contest. Think About The Definition Of First And Foremost. It Is SUPREME !. Think Of Supreme Court And The Answer Should Also Be Someone Who Was On The Supreme Court And Was Very Active About The FIRST AMMENDMENT! The Answer Should Also Be EARL WARREN !. Your Thoughts !

[ArnoldMBrockman]

Also Think About The Definition Of EARL. EARL WARREN IS IMHO still A Better Answer Than WARREN HARDING

[Deb F]

Arrived at Warren Harding very quickly and submitted on Thursday. Then, reading through comments through the weekend, started wondering what I had missed. My second thought was actually Elizabeth Warren but thought, since all the clues pointed to a President--felt confident. A good week!

[TMart]

Interesting bit of trivia I learned on this one: the “G” in Warren G. Harding stands for Gamaliel. Never would have guessed that.

[BarbaraK]

Finding Warren and with presidents on my mind, Harding was my first thought. But "noted"? "Foremost"? Harding? One of the worst presidents ever. If the instructions had said the answer is a US president, I'd have had no doubt and called it done. But why ask for a noted politician if we're not looking for someone else.

The most noted and foremost political Warren I can think of is Earl Warren. Last name vs. first name - hmm, it is first names in the grid and that "First" in the title, but the initials come from the last names, so I could argue either way. But if it has to be a first name, there's still Warren Burger now that I'm thinking of the Supreme Court.

So I scoured the grid and the wikipedia articles looking for something to push me one way or another. But everything I found was ridiculously stretchy, so I finally stuck with Harding.

Speaking of the grid, I initially put in MISER at 44D. Not knowing either person, Theodore Marker and Dwight Yoasum seemed reasonable and it was only my google double check everything routine that fixed it.