This one had some tough spots for me. AROMA (14A: Drawing of a bakery?) took me forever to see (maybe because the wording is just a little too tortured?). And the Y of LOYAL (8D: True) and JOYBUZZER (18A: "Put 'er there, Pal!") was also tricky, even when that was all I had left. And I owned one of those buzzers! I didn't have a SQUIRTINGFLOWER or a DRIBBLEGLASS, but I bought itching powder (which was terrible - so itchy!), soap that made your hands black, and a whoopee cushion... yeah... it was a phase, I guess. I'm not proud, but I am over it. I wasn't cut out to be a PRANKSTER. I even felt bad about it when I did use TRICKCANDLES, and people thought they had blown them all out, but then saw them relight. I guess I prefer being tricked by tough crossword clues and other word games. Call me what you will. Still, it's an appropriate theme for April Fool's Day.
Some kind of junky fill - I'm looking at you ORTO, OTRO, ABOO, and ONUP - but really, not that much, and we've got some decent non-fill with GAGORDER (5D: Silencer), LOVEHATE (42D: Kind of relationship), and COBWEB (9D: Sign of disuse). Heck, I even like OKOK (47D: "All right, already!"). It must be that I'm still giddy from the weekend's activities. The final at the ACPT, if you didn't hear, was won by less than one second! It was so very dramatic! But more than that, just being there and getting to meet some of the constructors I've enjoyed over the past couple years, and a couple of the bloggers that I read and link to on this site, and, of course, trying my hand at the tournament puzzles... well, it was a great time. I'm already looking forward to going back next year. Maybe all three of us will be able to make it, and maybe, just maybe, we'll make T-shirts.
- Horace
11:52
ReplyDeleteBy "all three of us," are you referring to Horace, Frances and Colum or is Huygens somewhere in that mix? And what of Icarus Fob and Sanderson Eggo? Anyway, I figured out the theme after about eight minutes and I just filled it in quickly from there. I wasn't familiar with Edna Ferber's SOBIG, but the crosses were fair, mostly (STEIG?). mAmA went in at first at 16A, but was quickly changed to DADA. I don't know...not much too terrible in here. I liked 42D Kind of relationship (LOVEHATE) and 4D Well-heeled Marcos? (IMELDA), which was kind of an old reference that I was able to fill in right away.
I would love it if we went down en masse as "Team Horace & Frances." I was thinking of Colum, but ET59 has talked of going, and maybe Icarus could find the time, too. Who knows? You might enjoy it, but I'm not so sure Sue would be at home there. But there is a bar, so maybe she'd be all right...
ReplyDelete6:33
ReplyDeleteI was thrown for a bit by Edna Ferber's book. I recalled it as Big, but in fact, what I was thinking of was Giant, which was made into a movie with James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson.
The theme was right on, of course. I also appreciated that the grid is only an X short of a pangram, but the creator did not try to shove one in. I don't love REQS either, but I can see how it had to be there. OEN is hoary. I like 65A: Brother's keeper? (ABBOT). I would have loved a reference to 30 Rock for RURAL ("Rural Juror"...).
Definitely want to try to get to the tournament next year.