Saturday, August 8, 2015

Saturday, August 8, 2015, Alan Arbesfeld

0:56:29 (F.W.O.E.)

Today was kind of a slog. A few fun or interesting answers, like LIBRARY (37D: Place where many spines are visible) (went in immediately), BIO (43A: Cutting class, for short?) (didn't), and PARIS (12D: "Do not deny to him that you love me" speaker, in literature), but the greater part seemed to be groaners like ORLE (50A: Heraldic border), UNARY (49D: Involving a single element, as a math operation) (whatever you say), and RESAT (47D: Convened anew). I also have a problem with AREOLAE (14D: Eye parts bordering on pupils). The clue hits one definition of the word, so I know it's legit, but it does not Google well at all. Additionally, there is sort of a semantic doubling with CORONAS (40D: Heavenly rings).


On the brighter side, the stacks were fine. BREAKOUTINARASH (60A: Get bad marks?) was probably my favorite. RAISETHETITANIC (55A: 1976 novel featuring adventurer Dirk Pitt) seems a little obscure, but perhaps you knew it right away.

Our difficulty came today at the cross of ETAMINE (33A: Light cotton fabric) (never heard of it) and AMICE (29D: Garment worn partly under an alb) (ditto). Seems unfair, but hey, it's Saturday, so I'm not complaining too much.

Overall it just rubbed me the wrong way. A disgraced college football coach, a potentially lethal, addictive stimulant, abbreviations galore… Didn't love it.

- Horace

2 comments:

  1. 31:26
    I finished with the same error you did. I guessed something else initially, don't remember what. The 15-letter answers are innocuous. No "one's" in any of them. DOUBLESOLITAIRE is my favorite for its clue. I disliked the SE corner. NONU... IRONIST... EUNUCHS (clued as ineffectual sorts is kind of amusing), but also ORU, CIE, and UNARY. Ugh.

    ReplyDelete