0:37:27
A nice entry into "the turn," as I just now decided to call it. That is, the big three, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. We look for a little bit of fun on Thursday, and a decent challenge on the other two.
The first of the rebi that we got was [ARMED]BANDITS (18: Casino sights). We fretted for a while about the missing "one" in that phrase, but we kept on keepin' on, and eventually, the next one we got, [WAYWAYWAYWAY]STOP (62A: What an intersection may have) ("four 'way' stop") finally explained it to us. Pretty nice.
They've got a little vintage TV thing going on with ALF (16A: TV ET) and ORSON (23A: Boss of TV's Mork). And I was about to add FIVEO (40A: "Hawaii ____"), but it's back as a current show, right? Is that still going? But wait! KINTE (45A: "Roots" surname) could be added to the group!
AVARICE (9D: Shylock trait) is a nice word, as is FAIN (11D: Willingly, old-style). RULE (25D: Line at a stationery store) gets a clever clue, but my favorite clue today was 4D: + 6 (TEN). Pretty sneaky, Sis! (another old TV reference)
We finished up in the SE, at what has got to be the toughest cross in the puzzle - FIR (61A: It may be topped with an angel) (too soon) and ERGOT (57D: Cereal killer). Frannie was on the right track with cereal killer, looking for a disease, but it was the other one that she finally figured out to get that R.
RIATAS (1A: They're thrown from horses), even with the somewhat interesting clue, wasn't the greatest way to start this one, but it picked up nicely and turned out to be a satisfying Thursday.
- Horace
51:59
ReplyDeleteWas that quote Peter talking to Jan, by chance? It was just Knight's birthday yesterday (or this past week sometime - 54?).
Anyway, I, too, was perplexed by the missing "one" in [ARMED]BANDITS, but the next one that I figured out [BIT][BIT]CROOKS made the rest of the puzzle come together. I'd originally put in RIderS instead of RIATAS for 1A, but quickly fixed that error. And I originally thought that the Indian food spice was curry, but all in all this was fun and not too much trouble. I'm mulling over showing it to Sue, but I don't want to anger her, so maybe I'll wait until she's had a libation.
We had "riders" and tried "cumin" for the spice. And no, Frannie would know for sure, but I think the line is from a Connect Four commercial, and is said by the brother after the sister says that she beat him "There! Diagonally!"
ReplyDeleteSue sure is touchy, but she might like to see this kind of a puzzle, and soon enough (it is Friday, right?) she will have had one...
Ah, Connect Four. That's right.
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