Saturday, June 7, 2014

Saturday, June 7, 2014, John Lieb

Untimed.

I completed today's puzzle with my mother, visiting from NYC. Together, we stared at the grid for quite some time. We tried "Baghdad" for 17A: "The Hurt Locker" setting (IRAQWAR), guessed ASARULE for 16A: Mostly, and fit TRISTE in for 48D: Blue, in Burgundy. Then we stared for a long time more. I wanted EMERITi for 65A: Professor_____, but it didn't make sense, as that would pair a plural answer with a singular clue. Still, we broke in finally with the SE corner when we figured out 67A: Solution for storing contacts? (ROLODEX). Now there's a question mark that wasn't needed. I also enjoyed 47D: One might get past a bouncer (FAKEID). And we were on to the middle.

How often do you get three answers in a grid with 2 Xs each? 42D: Valentine letters (XOXO), 42A: WorkCentre maker (XEROX), and 36D: People plot things around it (XAXIS, one I'm getting used to seeing) were all very reasonable answers. I love TABOR and SWISH, and NOTES was clued well (34D: Las, e.g.). LEGOS was also a nice discovery.

In the NE, I don't like the cluing for FESTERED (14D: Decayed). It seems off somehow. Otherwise, we finally figured out what was to huarizo as donkey is to mule (LLAMA), which allowed us into the NW. MCQ (4D: 1974 John Wayne title role) I'd never heard of, but I liked the trivia that ANACIN was introduced in 1916.

Finally we made our way to the SW. FEARNOT had been entered already, which suggested FOOSBALL, and the rest spilled out quickly. I very much liked 38D: High (EUPHORIA).


It was a struggle for each step of the way, but a rewarding struggle, without much I can complain about.

- Colum

1 comment:

  1. Untimed.
    Nice Wayne poster! 23A Cut down to size, maybe (EDIT) was great cluing, as was 10D Enrich (LARD). I agree that all of the Xs were fantastic. ROLODEX was nice to see, as was ARTEMIS and BOSCO (reminds me of the Seinfeld episode featuring the product). I had quite a number of write-overs, but I finished it so thumbs up.

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