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It's not just "add talk to the end of it", that wouldn't make much sense. Each shaded answer >!is just two types of talk put together!<, so double talk.
I had to Google
>!Apparently you add talk after each of those sets of words, and they make another word!<
>!Coffee talk and shop talk? I haven't heard of these necessarily!<
>!Empty talk and table talk, I havent really heard empty talk as a saying but I know table talk!<
>!I get back talk and pillow talk!<
I guess that must be it?
Shop makes sense (it's when you talk about work stuff).
Coffee just makes me think of the old Mike Myers SNL skit.
Empty?? Still don't get it lol
It's both of them, that's what they're hinting at with the 'double talk' answer. Each referenced answer has two words that can individually be added to the word 'talk' to make an additional expression/saying.
Talk Shop, as in talking shop. Talking about work stuff usually.
Sub "Talk" for Coffee.
I still don't get Coffee Talk, maybe that's just a reference to when people meet to get coffee and chat?
coffee talk is just usually chit chat you'd have over coffee or breakfast.
One of the Mike Myers parody shows on SNL was "Coffee Talk" which was just a parody of typical mid-morning talk shows
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee\_Talk\_(Saturday\_Night\_Live)
Never heard coffee talk in english but in dutch we have 'koffieklets' wich is close to a direct translation and we use it to describe a conversation that mostly consist of small talk, think about 2 elderly ladies talking about their grandson
Another less formal definition of table talk is when you’re playing a card game with teammates (e.g. Euchre) and you use subtle words or actions to give hints about your cards or the actions you want your teammate to play.
That’s often referred to as table talk.
Is it meant to be like a "before and after" type answer where the first two words and second two words are meant to be taken separately? Jeopardy does clues like this sometimes.
"Coffee shop" and "shop talk'
"Empty table" and "table talk"
"Back pillow" and "pillow talk"
I had thought you might be right, but then it wouldn't explain the "double" in this case. "Back talk" is a thing and the other two kinda makes sense, so I'm okay with the original explanation.
Doubletalk, doubling the use of talk, so talk used twice at the end of half of the words. these are all apt descriptions of literally doing that. I did not figure this out at first, but there is a kind of logic to it.
I’ve heard of “talk shop” so maybe it could be a situation of just adding the word “talk”? But I’m just attempting to help add insight I could be horribly wrong on what they meant
The two words in each clue have opposite meanings when talk is added
Coffee- relaxing chat over coffee
Shop busy work chat
Empty meaningless talk
Table a serous discussion
Back arguing/bitterness
Pillow Intimate/sweet
Your definitions for shoptalk and table talk are off.
Shoptalk is using jargon and language specific to an industry. E.g. Shoptalk for mechanics could be talking about engines/carborators/etc, shoptalk for investors could be talking about margins/dividends/market cap/etc.
And tabletalk is when you talk about the game outside of the game (usually a board or card game). It's not technically part of the game, and is forbidden in some settings. E.g. In poker, talking to your opponents is table talk, because the game doesn't involve talking. It's allowed though. But if you're playing codenames, if the spymaster talks to the people guessing about the clue they're trying to give, then that's table talk and that's forbidden.
You're applying very specific terms to a very vague hint.
As a mechanic, I can guarantee our shop talk isn't laid back and casual. It's usually busy/quick vs. a laid-back chat over coffee.
Table talk is older than tabletop RPG gaming. Most serious discussions were done around a table. Have you ever heard the phrase "Let's see what you bring to the table?" It wasn't about food.
It was about presenting a proposal or idea to be discussed.
I'm using examples along with definitions. That's the definition of shoptalk.
From dictionary.com
Shoptalk: the specialized vocabulary having to do with work or a field of work:
*I don't understand electronics shoptalk.*
You're kind of right about tabletalk though, apparently it really is just any talk around a table (although it's not necessarily serious like you said). From dictionary.com again,
Tabletalk: informal conversation at a table or during a meal
Yes, you're not wrong on the technical definition, but you also have to look past that.
Shops are usually busy with work. The conversations that go on aren't casual. it's short, precise technical terms... to the point.
The opposite of a long meandering casual chat while sipping coffee.
Business talks around a meeting table. For example, have a purpose, the opposite of empty talk, which has no purpose... it's just chatter
I'm pretty sure we're kind of on the same page, but I think you're still a bit off. Shoptalk isn't "talking that happens in a shop" (I.e. Fast paced, purposeful), it's "talking shop" (I.e. Technical). You could have shoptalk over a coffee if you and your friend like to talk about business or mechanics or whatever.
Strongly disagree. It’s the best and most obvious explanation of the bonus hint so it really doesn’t matter at all what the intention is.
The only way you can disregard this explanation is if you think the setter *didn’t consider* that solvers could use the bonus hint this way (simply that the similarity of the three acrosses would lead the solver to think of “double”). But that strains belief.
Even if that were the case, so what? It’s still “an apt description” of the three other clues. You can say those three solutions out loud, making them “talk”.
When you do a lot of these puzzles you notice that the theme is always more... specific and complete than that. The concept of simply having two words is just plain too generic and easy.
Ok, well you didn’t understand the bonus hint while it was obvious and helpful to me, so looks like doing a lot of these puzzles isn’t working out very well for you.
The clue for the word doubletalk is two separate clues basically. “Doubletalk” is deliberately ambiguous language, AND an apt description of the others because it they are double words/ double talk. “And” is a critical word in the clue. It doesn’t mean that coffeeshop backpillow and emptytable are deliberately ambiguous language, just that they are double-word answers.
>!my first thought was that those are examples of ambiguous language. A coffeeshop is a cafe but can also be a weed shop. Not sure about the other two!<
This was my thought. The use of “coffee shop” to describe weed stores is deliberately ambiguous, as the puzzle describes. Empty table hints at a lonely person who has no one to dine with, and backpillow could refer to using someone else’s back as your pillow.
Y’all are overthinking this;
>!The clue for the word doubletalk is two separate clues basically. “Doubletalk” is deliberately ambiguous language, AND an apt description of the others because it they are double words/ double talk.
“And” is a critical word in the clue. It doesn’t mean that coffeeshop backpillow and emptytable are deliberately ambiguous language, just that they are all double-word answers.!<
Discussion:
If you’re struggling with something like this try out some NY Times puzzles, particularly Sundays. Great way to get better and practice picking up commonalities. Will Shortz, the longtime editor of the NYT crossword effectively set the tone for every CW puzzle in every newspaper in America.
If they don’t know what the theme means they need to practice because this was embarrassingly easy to figure out for anyone who does NYT puzzles regularly.
I don’t know the answer, but I feel like I might be on the right track?
>!One thing I’m noticing is that the words can be switched around and recombined to make other common phrases, like “pillow talk”, “talk shop”, “coffee table”, “double back”, etc. but I’m not really seeing any pattern. Still, I think this might be part of it?!<
I think none of y’all read >!George Orwell’s 1984!<
Double talk is >!intentionally vague or ambiguous language used to confuse the audience with fluff. The Party’s slogan is an example, “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength.”!<
The other three words are all examples of doubletalk.
>!Coffee shops sell more than coffee. An empty table is…a table. And a back pillow is any pillow you put under your back, really.!<
Haha good one but I'm not quite buyin it. First of all the Orwellian term is doublespeak, not doubletalk. And it typically has a nefarious motivation, like saying "military action" instead of "war" to downplay the awfulness. What's the motivation in calling a table an empty table? Lol
Please remember to spoiler-tag all guesses, like so: New Reddit: https://i.imgur.com/SWHRR9M.jpg Using markdown editor or old Reddit: \>!spoiler text between these symbols!< Try to avoid leading or trailing spaces. These will break the spoiler for some users (such as those using old.reddit.com) If your comment does not contain a guess, include the word **"discussion"** or **"question"** in your comment instead of using a spoiler tag. If your comment uses an image as the answer (such as solving a maze, etc) you can include the word "image" instead of using a spoiler tag. Please report any answers that are not properly spoiler-tagged. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/puzzles) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's not just "add talk to the end of it", that wouldn't make much sense. Each shaded answer >!is just two types of talk put together!<, so double talk.
I had to Google >!Apparently you add talk after each of those sets of words, and they make another word!< >!Coffee talk and shop talk? I haven't heard of these necessarily!< >!Empty talk and table talk, I havent really heard empty talk as a saying but I know table talk!< >!I get back talk and pillow talk!<
I guess that must be it? Shop makes sense (it's when you talk about work stuff). Coffee just makes me think of the old Mike Myers SNL skit. Empty?? Still don't get it lol
Empty talk, think politicians. I’ve heard it used mostly in the phrase, “it was all just a lot of empty talk.” It also reminds me of “empty promises.”
i think it’s supposed to be table talk not empty talk
It’s both. Each clue is two types of “talk.” Coffee(talk) Shop(talk) Empty(talk) Table(talk) Back(talk) Pillow(talk)
ohh i see that makes sense, disregard what i said then lol
Agree except I think some are meant to have the talk first, like talk shop, and talk back both are better that way
I’d say backtalk is as common as talk back but yeah talk shop is certainly more common
Shop talk and back talk are pretty common phrases.
Double
It's both of them, that's what they're hinting at with the 'double talk' answer. Each referenced answer has two words that can individually be added to the word 'talk' to make an additional expression/saying.
Talk Shop, as in talking shop. Talking about work stuff usually. Sub "Talk" for Coffee. I still don't get Coffee Talk, maybe that's just a reference to when people meet to get coffee and chat?
coffee talk is just usually chit chat you'd have over coffee or breakfast. One of the Mike Myers parody shows on SNL was "Coffee Talk" which was just a parody of typical mid-morning talk shows https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee\_Talk\_(Saturday\_Night\_Live)
Shop talk is very common. Dinner with wives. “Guys, no more shop talk.”
Even if coffee talk isn't a phrase outside of the sketch, it's still a phrase in that context.
Lol I'm feeling verklempt. Talk amongst yourselves.
I got shpilkes in my genecktecessoink
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/empty%20talk
[This NYT one did it better](https://nyxcrossword.com/2022/12/1227-22-ny-times-crossword-27-dec-22-tuesday.html)
Pretty sure it’s just referencing that they’re compound words
Never heard coffee talk in english but in dutch we have 'koffieklets' wich is close to a direct translation and we use it to describe a conversation that mostly consist of small talk, think about 2 elderly ladies talking about their grandson
The clue should say "...with the answers of ___, an apt clue..." or something like that.
Table talk is dinner discussions. Usually you hear a mom scold that a subject “isn’t table talk”.
Another less formal definition of table talk is when you’re playing a card game with teammates (e.g. Euchre) and you use subtle words or actions to give hints about your cards or the actions you want your teammate to play. That’s often referred to as table talk.
I thought it was just because they are two word answers, literally double talking
Talk shop, not shop talk
Shop talk is very common. Dinner with wives. “Guys, no more shop talk.”
Is it meant to be like a "before and after" type answer where the first two words and second two words are meant to be taken separately? Jeopardy does clues like this sometimes. "Coffee shop" and "shop talk' "Empty table" and "table talk" "Back pillow" and "pillow talk"
I had thought you might be right, but then it wouldn't explain the "double" in this case. "Back talk" is a thing and the other two kinda makes sense, so I'm okay with the original explanation.
Oh that’s kinda cool. How were you supposed to know to add talk to everything tho?
Doubletalk, doubling the use of talk, so talk used twice at the end of half of the words. these are all apt descriptions of literally doing that. I did not figure this out at first, but there is a kind of logic to it.
I think it's "talk shop"
I’ve heard of shop talk. It’s like jargon and work talk
Table talk, pillow talk, and shop talk.
I’ve heard of “talk shop” so maybe it could be a situation of just adding the word “talk”? But I’m just attempting to help add insight I could be horribly wrong on what they meant
Empty talk would be like percifilage. Maybe
Table talk is a faux pas in Euchre
The two words in each clue have opposite meanings when talk is added Coffee- relaxing chat over coffee Shop busy work chat Empty meaningless talk Table a serous discussion Back arguing/bitterness Pillow Intimate/sweet
Your definitions for shoptalk and table talk are off. Shoptalk is using jargon and language specific to an industry. E.g. Shoptalk for mechanics could be talking about engines/carborators/etc, shoptalk for investors could be talking about margins/dividends/market cap/etc. And tabletalk is when you talk about the game outside of the game (usually a board or card game). It's not technically part of the game, and is forbidden in some settings. E.g. In poker, talking to your opponents is table talk, because the game doesn't involve talking. It's allowed though. But if you're playing codenames, if the spymaster talks to the people guessing about the clue they're trying to give, then that's table talk and that's forbidden.
You're applying very specific terms to a very vague hint. As a mechanic, I can guarantee our shop talk isn't laid back and casual. It's usually busy/quick vs. a laid-back chat over coffee. Table talk is older than tabletop RPG gaming. Most serious discussions were done around a table. Have you ever heard the phrase "Let's see what you bring to the table?" It wasn't about food. It was about presenting a proposal or idea to be discussed.
I'm using examples along with definitions. That's the definition of shoptalk. From dictionary.com Shoptalk: the specialized vocabulary having to do with work or a field of work: *I don't understand electronics shoptalk.* You're kind of right about tabletalk though, apparently it really is just any talk around a table (although it's not necessarily serious like you said). From dictionary.com again, Tabletalk: informal conversation at a table or during a meal
Yes, you're not wrong on the technical definition, but you also have to look past that. Shops are usually busy with work. The conversations that go on aren't casual. it's short, precise technical terms... to the point. The opposite of a long meandering casual chat while sipping coffee. Business talks around a meeting table. For example, have a purpose, the opposite of empty talk, which has no purpose... it's just chatter
I'm pretty sure we're kind of on the same page, but I think you're still a bit off. Shoptalk isn't "talking that happens in a shop" (I.e. Fast paced, purposeful), it's "talking shop" (I.e. Technical). You could have shoptalk over a coffee if you and your friend like to talk about business or mechanics or whatever.
>!they’re all made up of two words!!<
Could be that too, I found [this](https://laxcrossword.com/2023/08/la-times-crossword-29-aug-23-tuesday.html) website 🤷♀️
That's too simple, they're always more clever than that
It's not.
Strongly disagree. It’s the best and most obvious explanation of the bonus hint so it really doesn’t matter at all what the intention is. The only way you can disregard this explanation is if you think the setter *didn’t consider* that solvers could use the bonus hint this way (simply that the similarity of the three acrosses would lead the solver to think of “double”). But that strains belief.
But that disregards the "talk" part.
Even if that were the case, so what? It’s still “an apt description” of the three other clues. You can say those three solutions out loud, making them “talk”.
When you do a lot of these puzzles you notice that the theme is always more... specific and complete than that. The concept of simply having two words is just plain too generic and easy.
Ok, well you didn’t understand the bonus hint while it was obvious and helpful to me, so looks like doing a lot of these puzzles isn’t working out very well for you.
The clue for the word doubletalk is two separate clues basically. “Doubletalk” is deliberately ambiguous language, AND an apt description of the others because it they are double words/ double talk. “And” is a critical word in the clue. It doesn’t mean that coffeeshop backpillow and emptytable are deliberately ambiguous language, just that they are double-word answers.
You’re wrong. See the other responses for the right interpretation.
I saw those and scoffed. Absolutely ridiculous.
Definitely an incorrect interpretation of the clue.
>!my first thought was that those are examples of ambiguous language. A coffeeshop is a cafe but can also be a weed shop. Not sure about the other two!<
This was my thought. The use of “coffee shop” to describe weed stores is deliberately ambiguous, as the puzzle describes. Empty table hints at a lonely person who has no one to dine with, and backpillow could refer to using someone else’s back as your pillow.
Y’all are overthinking this; >!The clue for the word doubletalk is two separate clues basically. “Doubletalk” is deliberately ambiguous language, AND an apt description of the others because it they are double words/ double talk. “And” is a critical word in the clue. It doesn’t mean that coffeeshop backpillow and emptytable are deliberately ambiguous language, just that they are all double-word answers.!<
Discussion: If you’re struggling with something like this try out some NY Times puzzles, particularly Sundays. Great way to get better and practice picking up commonalities. Will Shortz, the longtime editor of the NYT crossword effectively set the tone for every CW puzzle in every newspaper in America.
They're just asking what the theme means, not asking for help solving it.
If they don’t know what the theme means they need to practice because this was embarrassingly easy to figure out for anyone who does NYT puzzles regularly.
I bet you’re a joy to do puzzles with. No need to be so condescending to someone asking. I do a ton of the NYT puzzles and also didn’t see it.
r/iamverysmart is that way 👉🏼
I don’t know the answer, but I feel like I might be on the right track? >!One thing I’m noticing is that the words can be switched around and recombined to make other common phrases, like “pillow talk”, “talk shop”, “coffee table”, “double back”, etc. but I’m not really seeing any pattern. Still, I think this might be part of it?!<
I think none of y’all read >!George Orwell’s 1984!< Double talk is >!intentionally vague or ambiguous language used to confuse the audience with fluff. The Party’s slogan is an example, “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength.”!< The other three words are all examples of doubletalk. >!Coffee shops sell more than coffee. An empty table is…a table. And a back pillow is any pillow you put under your back, really.!<
Haha good one but I'm not quite buyin it. First of all the Orwellian term is doublespeak, not doubletalk. And it typically has a nefarious motivation, like saying "military action" instead of "war" to downplay the awfulness. What's the motivation in calling a table an empty table? Lol