Ahhh... that's more like it. I came so close, too!
I did not get the theme while I was solving. I generally don't like to spend too much time looking at the long answers on a Monday because it can really derail you. It almost happened today with GEORGETENET, a name I would never have been able to pull out of thin air, but recognized just fine once it was filled in. As PALINDROMES was the last entry I filled, I got the aha moment after I finished, which is better.
Actually, the fill skews older as well. Outside of RORY McIlroy, Barack OBAMA, and possibly EMO, most of the references are hardly relevant now. REM's biggest days were in the 1980s. Jean-Luc PICARD last had a TV show in 1994. AMY Tan's book The Joy Luck Club came out in 1989, although she's written plenty since then. DESI, ERROL, MOE, NOLTE... ARARAT?
MAVEN and NIMROD are great words. I eat GRANOLA almost every morning. And I'm out.
- Colum
Don't you mean "AAH . . . that's more like it"?? No rants from me today, as this Monday effort features a few of my favorite things. I was always a big fan of MONICASELES, I love PICARD, and, heck, PALINDROMES have always been big in our family (especially the great "A man, a plan, a canal: Panama!") There were a handful of other nuggets scattered throughout, as well. BANGOR is a fine, not often seen answer on its own, but the fact that we also get the river on which it sits makes it even better. As a baseball fan I enjoyed "Situation after a lead-off single." "Doughnut shop lure" seems a very elegant way to clue the usually mundane AROMA. I like the Soap Box Derby trivia of AKRON. And who doesn't smile at any mention of the "amorous cartoon skunk" Pepe LEPEW? I agree with you on MAVEN and NIMROD. Regarding the latter, I bet every high school of my era had some idiot who insisted on making sure you knew that the word meant "great hunter." To which I would reply, "No it doesn't." Anyway, I liked this one quite a bit. My only complaint is the tandem of TOS and INS. Fortunately for me, Colum, most puzzles seem to be targeted to Baby Boomers. We are probably better off giving a shout-out to any puzzle that tries to buck the trend.
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ReplyDeleteNice time, Colum! I, too, loved NIMROD, though I never had anyone mention the "great hunter" thing to me in high school. Of course, I'm not from ET59's era. I'm glad that NOLTE was clued with his best movie. Good theme today; I always have loved a palindrome, especially of the number variety (do they count?). HIPPO could have been clued more edgily, as could have RATED, but I guess this is a family puzzle. I knew ARARAT right away...doesn't everyone? I recently watched all of the PICARD TNG offerings. His was a great guest appearance on "Extras," too. Nice to see AMY in the grid again, even clued with Ms. Tan, and we always love a good SOT.
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ReplyDeleteNice time C. I know a guy named NIMROD. He's a great guy. Goes by Nim. I like the juxtaposition with MAVEN, but just below that, TOS is UGLY.
What the hell is ATTAR of roses? (via Persian from Arabic word for "fragrant")
That photo of the hippos is mesmerizing. Surreal. Sublime.
Thank you.