Definitely a long solving time for a Tuesday, but the puzzle didn't feel difficult. But let's talk about that theme. Clever, to have the sound "ro" represented five different ways, and with five very pleasant answers. DENISDIDEROT wins the prize for most recherche, and SUCHSWEETSORROW the prize for most excellent. Before I figured out the theme, I tried to squeeze JAMESMadison into 60A before I recognized the lack of available spaces. It would have been very amusing if they'd done "ro, rot, reau your boat"...
I like the fact that 1A/1D are both fine words, and OVID is a pleasing presence in the NW. 14A: Lead zeppelins? (AVIATE) is a hoot. So, good start, for sure, that put me in a good mood for the remainder of the puzzle. It allowed me to overlook such lesser fill as NOI, ELUL, EMER, OER, and LEA.
How excellent is it that 7A: Half-baked (DUMB) crosses 10D: Mae West or Cheryl Tiegs (BLONDE)? That's some fine construction there.Not too many other fine clues: I liked 30D: It may be wild or dirty (RICE). I also liked the trivia of 46D: Indian state whose name means "five rivers" (PUNJAB). I'll admit to the fact that my first instinct on reading the clue was to think of Native American names. I've been conditioned by lo, these many puzzles.
I finished the puzzle in the SW, where I had a very hard time seeing 48D: Not broadcast (CABLE). it wasn't helped by thinking nTH rather than ETH, and not having the first clue what the Polish airline was (LOT).
I had fun with it.
- Colum
7:15
ReplyDeleteA nice, if small, victory when I best Colum's impressive times; six seconds counts! The DUMB/BLONDE thing was great, although I'm sure it's not true. Of course I didn't know OLEA (40D Olive genus); I consider this type of clue/answer to belong more properly in the Webster Times (local paper). Didn't Madison live closer to Jefferson? I believe that he was the young one in that circle. I won't Google it. KILIMANJARO went in immediately (with the "K"). The theme answer that took the longest for me was CENSUSBUREAU (48A group you can rely on when it counts) because I was thinking of something more math-based, though the census relies a great deal on statistics...calculus-based, at that.
Nice time!
Delete10:45
ReplyDeleteGrrrr…. just wrote a semi-long comment, but wasn't signed in so it didn't take. Anyway, I went on a bit about how the different stress at the end of the words makes the endings seem different even when they aren't really. And then I said everything important had been covered in the review and first comment, so I had nothing to add. There - same comment, 1/3 the reading required. You're welcome.
I feel your pain.
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