Very little in this puzzle was objectionable: it's a fine example of a Monday, although it played just a bit slow for me. Not sure why.
The theme is straightforward: _ALLOF____, with good examples of the form in all four entries. CALLOFDUTY is the most modern (I suppose FALLOFROME has to be the most classic, right? See what I did there?). Is it a problem that one of the two long down clues also has a rhyming word in it (SMALLWORLD)? Or that WALLE is right there as well? I don't mind it.
I couldn't for the life of me recall GENESISKEL's name. I had Gary Siegel there for a brief and shining moment (shining for Mr. Siegel, whoever he is... okay, I just Googled the name, and came up with Gary Siegel Therapy, with brain mapping and neurofeedback, so that's pretty cool).
Things I didn't like: ENWRAP. I really hate this en- business. It's nearly as bad as the a- family of words, such as "awhirl". TARO, RUHR, and OMAN are the daily groan of crosswordese (we're going to make this fly, folks!).
Things I did like: FLUFFY, CELLO (I love my Yo-yo Ma recording of the solo Bach suites), IMSET, and PAWSAT.
All right, I'm done. Good Monday.
- Colum
3:54
ReplyDeletePlayed a bit fast for me - it's a new PR, by six seconds! Finally made it into the threes. Whew!
Enjoyed it even as it whizzed by. TROUNCE and DRUB (Beat decisively) are both great words. STOKE & CHEAPO, also good. And while ENWRAP isn't great, I didn't mind ENSUE. I had "johnSISKEL" in there for a moment - so you weren't alone in being unable to come up with the name. And speaking of names, I liked seeing AMES in there, and I love me some LAURA Dern! What's she been in lately?
A solid Monday.
p.s. Way to use the new terminology right away! Piece by piece we will change the cruciverbalist lexicon.
Nice time!
Delete4:46
ReplyDeleteI think that this could be my first time sub-five, but I'm not sure. No problems here...and what's up with you two, not remembering GENESISKEL??? Unbelievable. Lots of other names: SNOOKI, ANAIS, TYSON, ERICH, LAURA, SOSA; that's too many. I liked 56A Clumsily touches (PAWSAT), and do not like a SPASM (68A Involuntary twitch), which is not how I would describe those of the "back" variety that I've experienced. Also, too many place names: OMAN, OSLO, RUHR, AMES. Nice stacking of TYSON and KOS, though, and who doesn't like a good WHIZ, even of the 52D Cheez ____ type?