We're back to a "time" theme, with the word TIME running twice around four black squares in the grid. Rather nice, really. It's cool, I think, how 56A: Where the ball drops on New Year's Eve ... as depicted literally in four places in this puzzle (hmm... how do I indicate the answer here?) is the only one of the "times" squares that uses it literally. It's a very nice theme/not theme, you know what I mean?
Again today, as always this week, there are some tricky and interesting clues and fill. OVENMITTS (26A: Range wear?) elicited an audible response when it finally came to me, and I thought "50A: Holds" was a great clue for CITADELS. OHPLEASE (29A: "Give me a break already!") seems to go well with "Go Pfft" from yesterday. MOSEYS (21D: Strolls) is a great word, and HATEMAIL (10D: Letters that are hard to read) was another tricky one.
Of course, all those "Time"s make some near-duplication necessary, like TEMPS and ATEMPO, and, for that matter, ATTEMPTED, and MIT, OVENMITTS, and DMITRI, but those last ones aren't really all that similar. I forgive it all! Also, I liked seeing "Clark" in the clue for MIT - it is my Dad's alma mater!
Lastly, for your information and enjoyment, I have included today a photo of a 1965 Jaguar XKE convertible, once owned by Sir Elton John. As the locals might say around the Clark campus, "Nice caaahh!"
- Horace
24:11
ReplyDeleteAgree...cool theme. OPIATE, ATEMPO, ESPRESSO, GAMETE, BASEMETAL: all good fill. I am not too crazy about DAYSAIL, but I'll take it. I wasn't crazy, either, about the clue for INTIMATES (52A Bosom buddies); that could have been good Huygens fill, but alas.
14:58. It took a long time for the theme to be recognized by yrs truly. I entered TIM at 56A, thinking the black squares that came after it were the rest of the clue somehow. Later on, I noted the cleverness and saw where the other three examples were. What a peculiar clue for 53D: NOISE ("Clue for a car mechanic"). Talk about a lot of info for a common word. I like it. Cece got DIAMETER and DAYSAIL, so kudos to her. SASHIMIS on top of EMPANADA makes for a funny culinary combination.
ReplyDeleteWhere are we going with all of this? Looking forward to Saturday at Horace's to find out!