0:29:24
The "quote puzzle" is not usually a favorite of mine, because once you know the quote, you have a lot filled in. But today's added three extra pieces that were not immediately obvious, given the quote. In fact, "18A: Film lead character featured in a Disney World attraction" was almost the very last thing we filled in! The last time I was at Disney was just over a decade ago. Maybe not before the first JACKSPARROW movie, but certainly before the ride appeared.
Some nice, tricky stuff, like 26A: Hamlet's parts (ABODES), which took me a second or two even after it was filled in!, and I couldn't decide if 28: They're often seen with bows (TUXES) meant "bows" like in one's hair (or in one's tie), or like "taking a bow," but either would work, I guess. And I love a straightforward, but still misleading clue, like 64A: Was attractive (DREW). And it's not just because I am a photographer that I enjoyed 9D: Where a photographer might take shots? (WARZONE). That was a good one!
Lastly, EnglishTeacher59 pointed out, a couple days ago, that the "Amen" at the bottom of the grid could be taken as a part of the "touchdown" theme. Today I'm willing to bet that Mr. Livengood put that SCORE (63: XX) in there as an exclamation (the clue itself could be seen as a type of sign-off, too, I suppose...), after jamming in all that theme material and making it work, AND making it a pangram as well! Quite the accomplishment!
XX
- Horace
I think the "bow" Livengood is referring to is a bow tie. And how about this for coinkcidence, I asked for more pizzazz yesterday, and today we get 23-across: "Pizazz." I guess you can spell it with three or four z's. I liked this one a lot; it was just plain fun. I didn't think of this as a quote puzzle while I was doing it. I almost never skim the clues, I just start on a certain area--usually the NW, but today the SE--and keep my focus very narrow. That's why I am very rarely helped by themes. Last to fall in this one was the NE, partly because of that terrific, as you noted, WARZONE. Agree with you too on ABODES and DREW. I enjoyed the equal time given to Kit Kat after we saw Twix a few days ago. "Ghost story" was quite clever. "Tube initials" was another one that vexed me in that tough NE. My mind was fixed on TV for so long. Even after I wrote in TEE I didn't understand "It may have a ring collar." Finally I realized that he was talking about a T-shirt. Original clue for USE. QUELL and UDALL make a nice symmetrical pair. Happy to report that I filled in JEFFKENT before I saw the related remark. All around sweet puzzle: lots of smiles, clever cluing, very little crap fill. I salute you, Mr. Livengood.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I've been completely bored with pangrams since three days before the dog lost his vigor.
ReplyDeleteYeah, nobody loves a pangram, but I just happened to notice that it was one at the end.
ReplyDeleteI like this Livengood.
Oh, and yes, the NE was where we ended up today, too. All the ones you mention were tough, and it didn't help that we were so lost with JACKSPARROW that we had tried "Parrot" as a possible ending for a while.
ReplyDelete63:35
ReplyDeleteNo problems to speak of, and I agree about ABODES. I got JACKSPARROW pretty quickly once I filled in a few of the crosses. Also, I filled in JEFFKENT, but I still don't know who that is (other than the clue explanation).