Monday, September 16, 2013

Monday, September 16, 2013, Ed Sessa

0:14:50

If not for Frannie, this would have been another Monday DNF for me. I know a little too little about religion and/or White House financial advisory groups, because the "B" of BAAL (45A: False god) would not come to me. I also spelled MYNAHS (48D: Bird mimics) with an "I," which Frannie also corrected. Neither of us was familiar with MAMMYYOKUM (52A: Dogpatch matriarch). I assume that relates to a comic strip.

The theme of having four "M"s in six symmetrical answers was ok, I guess. The only one it actually helped me on was the MILLIONMOMMARCH (40A: Washington rally of 5/14/00), because I had guessed "Million Man March" erroneously.

Things like ENORM (12D: Huge, in poetry), RETAB (13D: Adjust the margins again), AROO (34A: Suffix with buck), and MOOED (58D: Made a cow call) turned me against this one. And the audacity of cluing MAC with "67D: McDonald's Big ____" actually angered me a little. I know it's Monday, but really?

Onward to Tuesday!

- Horace


2 comments:

  1. 7:46 Yeah, I found this one very annoying too. For one thing, I had six write-over squares. That's outrageous for any day, but especially a Monday. Hated the theme. The two tens and one fifteen make four M's within the answer rather meager. Constructors shouldn't be able to use allegedly poetic adjectives like ENORM without citing a specific work that contains the obsolete word. Much crap in this one: all the ones you mention, plus MXI, ADE, LAMA, ATRA, IBID, NCR, ORS, SCG, OMB, AMI, ALP, NTH . . . I have excluded UPI from that list since we get a fun fact with that one, which I always like. To end on a positive note, KHMER is quality fill.

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  2. 10:41
    This wasn't the strongest theme, but at least it was over quickly. And might I say: "Alas for me, I cannot nor would dare
    Inform what I revered as I did trace!
    Who would be fool that he like fool might fare,
    With feeble spirit mocking the enorm
    Strength on his forehead!" Thou, God's thought thy form,
    Didst live the large significance of thy face.

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