0:05:25
A spectacularly easy puzzle, in my opinion, but not objectionable. The theme seems to relate to the start of the NFL season, with answers such as SALARYHIKE, PRESSPASS, GOODCATCH, RABBITRUN, and MUSICSCORE. I didn't notice what was going on while I was solving, but that's really quite nice. It reminds me of a similar puzzle that ran at the start of baseball season, I think, but I don't remember liking that one so much. For a while, I thought the theme was asking for an increase in the amount of money given to constructors for each daily puzzle ($200, I think, which some criticize as being far too low), with answers like the aforementioned SALARYHIKE, RAISE, EARNS, RAKESIN, and ELATE. OK, maybe no one else thought of that...
Not much to report on... so I'll just say that BAMBOO (46A: Panda's favorite plant) reminds me that there was a nice article on pandas, and the difficulties that they have mating in captivity, in a recent New Yorker.
I enjoyed the sequential inclusion of both NADA (64A: Zippo) and DADA (65A: Mama's counterpart). I like the word SPATE (66A: Flood), and I also enjoy it's "matched clue" word TORRENT (3D: Flood). And have I now put two newly gleaned pieces of knowledge together to understand that the "11D: Best Actor for "Hamlet," 1948" that OLIVIER won was his only Oscar? Or was that someone else who only won once?... Somebody help. Don't make me go back through my posts!
I wanted "Hella good" instead of HELLUVA for "39D: Terrific, in slang," but I guess I'll just have to create my own if I want to get that newer slang into the grid...
I liked it. A good Monday.
- Horace
Hella Good, wasn't that an album by Gwen Stefani? I too enjoyed this typically walk-through Monday. Yes, I also noticed the money sub-theme, but the main football line was excellent. I love how the words cascade down the grid in proper order, as if a play is being described: There's the HIKE, Ponder drops back to PASS, What a CATCH by Jerome Simpson, He makes a RUN for the pylon . . ., SCORE!!!!!! (Well, a man can dream, can't he?) How about the finishing benediction of AMEN in the SE corner? Nice touch. I long pondered GUNSHY for "Frightened by shots." I don't really like the combination. I guess in these times I do not appreciate seeing the never-used literal definition of the adjective.
ReplyDelete8:43
ReplyDeleteThis seemed kind of slow for a Monday, but I can’t figure out where the problem was. Maybe in the middle south, but there isn’t anything too difficult there. Perhaps Mr. Cee is, as Horace suggests, trying to hint to the NYT that he needs a RAISE or SALARYHIKE? One would think that he RAKESIN a good salary there, hopefully not blowing it all on CRAPS or at the AGORA. He sure EARNS whatever he makes, as this was an enjoyable Monday.
I hadn't connected the AMEN at the end, but I think it must have been intentional. Very nice indeed.
ReplyDelete