First, to round off the month, today's 1A: "____ goes it?" (HOW) was just nothing inspiring at all. It gets a C.
Without further ado, I present all of this month's 1A in order by grade.
Date
|
Clue
|
Answer
|
Grade
|
9/5/2015
|
Book whose last line is “Ask me tomorrow but not today”
|
HOPONPOP
|
A
|
9/19/2015
|
Dream acquisitions for huge fans
|
VIPPASSES
|
A
|
9/27/2015
|
“I am not ____” (1975 show business autobiography)
|
SPOCK
|
A
|
9/4/2015
|
Shop class cutter
|
BANDSAW
|
A-
|
9/9/2015
|
Inhaler user’s malady
|
ASTHMA
|
A-
|
9/25/2015
|
Product of Champagne country
|
PINOTNOIR
|
A-
|
9/22/2015
|
Italian scooter brand
|
VESPA
|
B+
|
9/11/2015
|
Recharged, so to speak
|
SLEPT
|
B+
|
9/26/2015
|
Related thing
|
TALE
|
B+
|
9/15/2015
|
Like all students of Morehouse College
|
MALE
|
B+
|
9/23/2015
|
Engrossed
|
RAPT
|
B+
|
9/17/2015
|
Almost a controlling interest
|
HALF
|
B+
|
9/18/2015
|
Like Blofeld in Ian Fleming’s “You Only Live Twice”
|
SCARFACED
|
B
|
9/21/2015
|
Emperor after Nero
|
GALBA
|
B
|
9/13/2015
|
“We must go”
|
ITSTIME
|
B
|
9/6/2015
|
One raised in church?
|
ALTAR
|
B
|
9/28/2015
|
Meows : cats :: ____ : dogs
|
ARFS
|
B
|
9/10/2015
|
Chophouse orders
|
STEAKS
|
B
|
9/16/2015
|
Fancy wheels, familiarly
|
BENZ
|
B-
|
9/20/2015
|
Just
|
FAIR
|
C+
|
9/2/2015
|
Platform for a drum set
|
RISER
|
C+
|
9/7/2015
|
Has debts
|
OWES
|
C
|
9/1/2015
|
Buddy of “The Beverly Hillbillies”
|
EBSEN
|
C
|
9/30/2015
|
“____ goes it?”
|
HOW
|
C
|
9/14/2015
|
Hiking trail reference
|
MAP
|
C-
|
9/24/2015
|
Not much, but better than none
|
SLIM
|
C-
|
9/3/2015
|
Small group, as of trees
|
CLUMP
|
C-
|
9/29/2015
|
Surrender
|
CEDE
|
C-
|
9/8/2015
|
Leader with an –ism
|
MAO
|
C-
|
9/21/2015
|
1969 and 1986 World Series champs
|
METS
|
C-
|
My quick analysis notes that, of the 6 C- answers (I never got the guts to give any answer a failing grade), four came on Mondays or Tuesdays (the other two were Thursdays). Of the 6 A or A- answers, four came on Fridays or Saturdays (with one Sunday and one Wednesday).
In retrospect, I'd give GALBA a lower grade, BENZ a slightly higher grade, and HALF a lower grade for sure.
I was definitely influenced by nostalgia, because SPOCK and HOPONPOP got very high grades, as did VESPA. Meanwhile, METS is at the bottom. Simply on the merit of the actual answer, I'd give VIPPASSES and PINOTNOIR the top marks. The best clue is "Shop class cutter."
Well, it's been fun. I'll come up with something different for November.
- Colum