If you are like me, as soon as you got to 26A: Play in 7-Across with the rack DEIORRW (WORRIED), you immediately knew 7-Across (SCRABBLE), and it took you only a few seconds to work out a word for 26A. Then, when you got to 36A: Play in 7-Across with the rack DDEEIRS (DESIRED), and then the third such clue, you thought "Gee… is that it? On a Thursday?!" Then (again, if you are like me) when you got to 63A: What the three possible answers to each of 26-, 36-, and 44-Across are, leading to 27 possible solutions to this puzzle (ANAGRAMS), you let out an audible "Oh. My. God." Then those three theme answers in the middle that seemed so cheap, suddenly appeared as jewels, mounted beautifully in the center of a gridded, black and white setting.
Sadly, I wasn't doing the NYTX every day when the famous "Clinton/Gore" puzzle by Jeremiah Farrell was run (if you don't know about it, there's lots of info online, including here), but I feel I got a little taste of what that must have been like today. The three anagrams of each themed entry are "WORRIED/WORDIER/ROWDIER" "RESIDED/DESIRED/DERIDES" and "DANGERS/GARDENS/GANDERS." Very, very nice. The variable crosses include such beauties as 46D: Something a lawyer might once have called on (NOTARY/ROTARY), 44D: Tip of Greenland? (GEE/DEE), and 28D: Plant that's not cultivated (REED/WEED). I love SKIS for "25D: What one might attach to a vehicle after a snowstorm," but SKID seems like a bit of a stretch. But hey, it's valid enough, and I'm not complaining.
In other parts, I was amused to learn that the EDSEL was the "14D: Car that famously debuted on 'E Day,'" AKIMBO (45D: How a superhero might stand) was funny (and so accurate!), and I enjoyed "20A: Like the rightmost elements" (NOBLE).
I'm happy. This was a fun one. Not difficult, but beautiful.
- Horace
14:31. 5 minutes spent figuring out ANKA/SKI[S/D]/SIRI. Then a minute spent figuring out that STRObE was silly, and that dEbUt was wrong, and SHALt as well. So it was finally accepted when I entered REVUE. The anagrams are brilliant. I agree that SKID doesn't really work, but I love the idea and the carrying out of it. Nice quote for CHRISTIE.
ReplyDeleteThat skis/skid area was where I finished, too, after several minutes of searching. I actually changed to DERIDES to see if that would help, and it did, because it gave me SKIS and AID.
ReplyDeleteGeez, all that trouble and you still beat me by over a minute! :)
20:33
ReplyDelete34D They're often wasted (SOTS) and 52D Twins' home? (SIAM) were both excellent. Also, we haven't seen EPEE (37D Modern pentathlon event) in awhile. 'nuff said by Horace about the other stuff. Brilliant and fun Thursday.