0:07:09
It's too bad Mr. Haight's last name wasn't something like "Benson," because that really would have worked well with this theme. There were Bs everywhere! I'm not going to count them, but the theme was heavy, and I liked it. I'll even tolerate ABRIM (7D: *Nearly overflowing), and BUGBEAR (9D: *Bogeyman) (a word I hate) (two words I hate, really, if you count the clue), because I like the density so much.
I didn't know that BELABARTOK was the 46A: *Hungarian composer whose only opera is about 17-Across (BLUEBEARD). (I suppose the music majors did, however.) And I don't hear BACKBITERS (32D: *Ones who criticize others in their absence) as often as "back-stabbers), but I don't have any problem with it the way it is.
This was a good Monday.
Sorry the review is so short, but although we're back doing the reviews, we are still on vacation, and it's time for me and my AMIE (28D: French girlfriend) to go find somewhere to eat in Lille!
- Horace
7:56
ReplyDeleteI loved 66A *Physical attribute of Homer Simpson (BEERBELLY), something I'm likely to grow this summer using the new YBH glasses. I wasn't a music major, but knew the Bartok trivia. Nice reference to Queen MAB, but not to 26A 6 on a telephone (MNO). I mean, c'mon.
5:56. A lot of Bs! 23, by my count, since many are used in both across and down answers. I like BELABARTOK's inclusion as well as Homer's BEERBELLY. ALER is my only "beef". We even get POBOX! This was fun.
ReplyDelete34:45
ReplyDeleteThis was a tough one for Jeremy. There were a lot of names, words, and references that are before his time. Case in point, (36D: Radio tuner). We had _n__ and all he could think of was "input." Radios, of course, haven't had knobs since, well, before he was born. Somewhat surprisingly, he's never read or seen Frankenstein, so IGOR was tougher than it was for adults. And Bert LAHR? no way. KIA he knows from grandma's car, but stuff like OLGA (Korput), OVID, AMIE, MOUE, and even ALI aren't there. The B theme helped, but expressions like BACKBITERS (who says that??), BANKBRANCH. and BEERBELLY were harder to come by. I could have sworn he's played BARTOK, but it took longer than I'd have thought.
On the other hand, he knew SITAR, ASAP, ABIDE, POBOX (we're using one now ourselves), and, of course being a connoisseur of all things maple, SAPS.