0:08:36
We flew through this one, but there were some nice answers. THEWAVE (15A: Thousands of fans might do it), and RIPOPEN (17A: Unwrap in a hurry) were nice, and I enjoyed seeing MANTLE (22A: Layer of the earth between the crust and the core). ISBN (46A: 13-digit library info) has been hot lately. It was in at least twice in the last week, I'm pretty sure.
The clues for TANLINE (66A: A lifeguard's whistle might create one) and PLEDGES (69A: Pinto and Flounder, in "Animal House") were original, I thought, but the clues for LOSS (34A: Destruction) and TARRED (55A: Sealed, as a driveway) seemed a little off.
The theme (NAMEDROPPER (12D: Status-seeking sort... or a solver of this puzzle, initially?)) was ok, I guess. All the names start with N and D. I guess it's fine, and I love the clue for NANCYDREW (20D: Amateur detective in 1967's "The Clue in the Crossword Cipher"). That was a nice touch.
As I review it, it seems like there's a fair amount of crosswordy material, but we filled in the longer clues so easily that we didn't even notice all the ORG, NAE, ALS, LEI, OTIC, AHI, CTR, CSA stuff at all. On balance, an enjoyable enough puzzle.
- Horace
~10:00 (I didn't time it today, but went right along with it, so it was around there, if not slightly quicker.)
ReplyDeleteI don't feel that the times are a competition. They are what they are. Sometimes people have little blocks and don't think of things in exactly the right way. That can go on for twenty or more minutes before a "Doh!" epiphany, and that can really skew a time. I like to time myself, but if you'd like to not post them to avoid competitive leanings, that's fine with me.
About the puzzle: at first I was thinking INFIELD for 18A Who, What and I Don't Know, in Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First?" routine, but that would have excluded I Don't Give A Darn, so that was a no-go. TANLINE was very clever and the Simpson's reference 58A "Don't have _____, man!" ACOW was good. Your father may have known 23D Amtrak high-speed train ACELA. A good puzzle with no groan-worthy clues, I thought.
OK, ok... it's just me being paranoid. It is what it is, and that's all it is. I'll keep the times going for now.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, this puzzle was clean. And tomorrow's (this is being written on Wednesday) is too.