Monday, April 11, 2016

Tuesday, April 12, 2016, Alan Derkazarian

0:08:30

Hmmm... I'm kind of hungry all of a sudden. Maybe it's all the HAMONRYE in this grid!

I like the theme, and I like the execution. It's not quite symmetrical, but it's very close, and I love that it occurs twice in the revealer itself. Well, three if you count 57A. Heh.

It seems like this sort of a theme would really force a lot of fill, and I guess we see that with FRYER, WRYEST, DRYER, and one that I learned the hard way at the A.C.P.T. this year, CRYER (19A: Jon of "Two and a Half Men"). Ugh. I'm not sure why I chose the "rye" words to point out instead of the "ham" words, but, well, I guess the presence of the Y just makes them more noticeable.


Things get a little rough in the middle with IOC, MAI, IDID, and FUL, but those unfortunate entries are more than balanced out today by lively fill like SHREWD (10D: Sharp), SYNDROME, HAYRIDE, ROOTLE (46A: Look for truffles as a pig might) (I like this one, really I do), and  REINDEER (24A: Dancer and Prancer). I also like the unexpected accuracy of THREEAM (2D: Time to which you "spring forward" in daylight savings). I nearly lost an hour just coming up with that answer! HAH!

Anywho... I like the three-stacks NW and SE, I like the theme, I like it. It's a pity ATHOL (1A: Playwright Fugard) wasn't clued with a reference to the Massachusetts town, though. I've never heard of this Fugard fellow. Turns out he's just seven days younger than my dad, and I see now that I probably should heard of him, so I'll give 1A a B.

Decent Tuesday.

- Horace
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2 comments:

  1. HuygensApril 12, 2016 at 8:19 AM

    10:50
    I don't understand the high rating of "B" for ATHOL, and I'd never heard of ROOTLE, either, but like it, too. Jon CRYER is pretty well-known, isn't he? And I thought that SHAMU was not going to be an attraction any longer. REAR had an OK clue, but it could have been better. SAWBIT? Does this refer to a hole saw? I can do without reference to Zach EFRON, and WHAM should have been clued referencing the group. Nice that it's opposite SHAM. Did you notice there are proper names in all four corners?

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  2. Colum AmoryApril 12, 2016 at 7:42 PM

    5:44
    I loved the theme. I did not see it coming at all. Although when I had entered DRYER after CRYER, I thought that was too close for comfort. I was pleased to find it had been done on purpose. I knew who ATHOL Fugard was, although I doubt I've ever seen a play of his. Nor did I see Tsotsi. Guess I'm culturally impoverished when it comes to South Africa. After the theme, much of this puzzle FELLFLAT for me.

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