0:28:49
We quite enjoyed solving this one! It's a lovely, open grid, and the very few that elicited a slight groan (SANITARIA (18A: Psychiatric hospitals) was one) were really quite acceptable. BEETHOVEN (47A: Big name in classical education?) is always welcome, and it's very odd, but cool, to see him on the same line with RATSO (49A: 1969 role for Dustin Hoffman) Rizzo. Ahh, life… so varied. So wonderful.
And speaking of odd things, we enjoyed the word TOWELETTE (52A: Freebie often containing alcohol), for some reason. The two car-trivia answers were interesting, although SAABS (39A: Cars whose only color until 1952 was bottle green) was much moreso than EDSEL (5D: Car that offered Polar Air air-conditioning).
I don't usually think of OPARTISTs as "33D: One[s] employing tromp l'oeil effects," but rather optical effects, which, I guess, sometimes trick the eye. So ok, fine. MAKESOUT (34D: Pets), right beside it, was a little surprising, but in a good way. And running through both was the very nice DIMESTORES (45A: Bowling splits in which the 5 and 10 pins remain).
There were lots of good entries today - ANIMALFAT (16A: It's rendered in the kitchen) (this went in without crosses) was fun, in a gross way, and LISSOME (32A: Like a ballerina) is a lovely word, isn't it?
Best clue of the day? 19A: Hardly a free spirit? (GENIE). We LOL'd, we cried, we want to solve it again and again. It was better than Cats.
A satisfying Friday.
- Horace
50 mins.
ReplyDeleteWell, I told Sue about some of the same answers that Horace mentioned: LISSOME (because it is such a great word), DIMESTORES (because we'll have to start using that!) and MAKESOUT (because that was such a great clue/answer). I also loved 6A Spots for thirsty travelers (HOTELBARS), 28A Camp accouterments (BOAS!), 38A Be useful (PAY), BEETHOVEN of course, TOWELETTE and 41D Terrible time? (AGETWO). I'd never heard of SABOTS, but I'd also never heard of "klompen" so that's OK. Anyway, I solved it, so it was a good Friday (so to speak).
I can't believe I forgot to mention BOAS!
ReplyDeleteAnd SABOTS are wooden shoes, if you didn't look that up already. Frannie knew that one. We didn't know "klompen," but it sure makes sense now.
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