Friday, December 25, 2020

Friday, December 25, 2020, Erik Agard and Wendy L. Brandes


"This is the year 2019. This is not the time and place for dreams. This is the time to wake up. This is a moment in history where we need to be wide awake.

- GRETATHUNBERG.

Today's present from the NYTX is a chunky themeless from a former A.C.P.T. champion and a newcomer. There were some gimmes (Book club leader on TV (OPRAH)), and some that took every cross (Rebecca in the Basketball Hall of Fame (LOBO)); some tricky, end-of-week stuff (Labor leader? (DOULA)), and some things squarely in my wheelhouse (____ Bay (place mentioned in "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" (FRISCO)). OK, IMOLD, I'm wearing my "Readers, e.g.," but I've been putting off joining AARP.

Lots of variation in answer length today. No grid-spanners, but lots in the 4-11 range. Is that the way it is every day? Maybe, but somehow it just seemed more obvious today. Now that I look, there were plenty of threes, too. Sheesh - what a great review... more like IDLECHATTER, or just plain NOISE, IMO.

I don't love GALOSH (Wet-weather footwear) because I've never heard anyone use that singular form, and LILLY (Pharmaceutical giant, informally) seems a bit too informal to me, but FIRELIT is warmly evocative, and who doesn't like thinking about "The Sound of Music?" (ABBEY) (Who else tried to justify "Alpes" in that spot?)

If you're celebrating Christmas today, I hope you have a lovely time. If not, I hope you are enjoying your Friday. I'm going to go have another cup of coffee and Zoom with my family now. I'll catch up with you again tomorrow.

- Horace

2 comments:

  1. Rebecca LOBO was the first thing I entered in this grid. Yeah, we know the things we know. I got GRETATHUNBERG off the _________ERG. Don't know that I would have remembered her from Time last year if I had come at it from the west instead of the east side of the puzzle, but it was great to see her in the middle-center position of honor!

    LILLY is fine. I've heard it often in reference to the company. But the Doctor can weigh in on that. A couple of other main entries here in my area of expertise.

    Not even I mention for the DOOBIE??

    And, yeah, I'm putting off, too...

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  2. 15:59
    I did not like DOOBIE clued with 30A Reefer. Doesn't the former more properly *contain* reefer? I, like Horace, never heard of this LOBO person, nor have I ever heard the term DOULA. Both IMFREE and LEEDS could have been clued with The Who (as well as AUDIO and FAN, I guess). I'm not familiar with the TRANS flag, but now I'll know it if I see one. I haven't joined AARP yet, either.

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