0:16:15
In the immortal words of Charles Dikkens, I TAKESTO this puzzle right away. Mr. Berry and I appear to be on a very similar wavelength. So much so, that I ended up completing it before Horace even got a look at it. In this fine outing, we have all of the following:
17A. First-century governor of Britain, whose name was Latin for farmer - boom - AGRICOLA
50A. 1950 short-story collection by Asimov - long-time fan - IROBOT
12D. Not-so-fast food? - hilarious!- ESCARGOT
44D. "The Name of the Rose" setting - just read it last summer - ABBEY
56A. Phalanx weapons - Ancient Greece - SPEARS
43D. "Never trust a woman who wears ____" (line from "The Picture of Dorian Gray") - Wilde is a big favorite of mine - MAUVE
Along with the above-mentioned, Frannie-tailored clues were other great ones such as 8A. Summer hat (BOATER), 37A. Manhattan Project scientist (FERMI), 30A. Columbian Exposition engineer (FERRIS) - who knew? Substantive and interesting fill.
Mr. Berry did not OMIT (9D. Pass over) humorous entries either. I was entertained by:
15D. Send-off for the dear departed? HAVEANICETRIP ; 8D. Upstanding one? (BIPED) ; 38A. All you can take with one hand - no question mark - POT ; 2D. Being in heaven (ANGEL) ; and 52A. Cork bar (IRISHPUB). HA!
I have not a single PETPEEVE to report (56A. Cause for complaint).
~Frannie
I also loved this puzzle, completing it myself after Frannie had cleared it for me. I'll just add that I loved the ELIOT clue. I just used that quote in a Facebook post on my last birthday. It was another fine grid from our favorite constructor.
ReplyDelete9:07. My only complaint is that it was clued too easily; and I mean it. That is my only complaint. Every single clue-answer pairing is at least above average if not perfect. Nothing annoying, crosswordy, or slightly off. Even ABE gets a fresher clue than "Five-dollar bill," or "16th president, familiarly." I love the clue for POT. That's sweet. Fine work, that should have been yesterday's puzzle, except that it's themeless.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we agree that his puzzles always play easier than their day. I guess, like you say, this one's too easy for Friday, but it's too good for Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteHe's always got such thick swaths of white, which doesn't leave room for all the junky little stuff. No SSTS, no OLIO. He's a master.
I suppose for people not used to late week puzzles, the long stacked answers might be a challenge. But really, compared to the quad stacks we often see, his long entries feel natural and fresh. Great stuff.
ReplyDelete~40 minutes (with Iron Jenny Flint (Cindy) and KMK (Kathy))
ReplyDeleteI thought this was fine for a Friday regarding difficulty level. My favorite was ESCARGOT. My least favorite: 16A "This isn't a good time" (IMBUSY). Props, along with Frannie, on IROBOT. I'm still working on Saturday; I've invested about five hours now and have some bit of mess still in the SW, but I'll tackle it again today (Wednesday 7/9).