Odd when a Thursday time is faster than a Wednesday time, though I think todays theme runs right up my alley. Did you know THEBEATLES are now available on streaming services? I doubt Mr. Wechsler knew when he created this grid however many moons ago. It was fun to listen to Magical Mystery Tour the other day. It's a great album once you get past "Blue Jay Way." But then to have your older daughter come into the room and ask, "Why are the Beatles so great anyway?" Ouch, right to the heart.
I've always loved spoonerisms. So silly. "I'm sorry, madam, this pie is occupewed. May I sew you to another sheet?" I could go on. Thankfully (I'm assuming on your part), I won't. Definitely my favorite of the four examples here is 32A: Answer to "What's her job in the garden supply store?"? (SHESHEAVINGLOAM). Fun double question mark there at the end of the clue. And it's one of my all time favorite underappreciated Beatles songs as well. I did enjoy LEIGHSHOVESYOU, if only because I follow it in my head with "...yeah, yeah, yeah!"
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It has to be noted that of all of the down answers, only 4D, 13D, 31D, 50D, and 56D do not cross two theme answers. Impressive then, how good the fill turns out to be. I don't like EVO (although world leaders should be fair game), and HALON is a never-before encountered word for me. Also, 38D: Language manglers, e.g. (MISUSERS) is hilariously self-referring, especially when it crosses ICER.
Funny that the answer that tripped me up yesterday reappears today, and I had not much difficulty with it. 50D: You might be recorded using them (ATMS) is not nearly as tricky. Does anybody else think 57A: Might (MAY) is odd? It's correct, but slight.
I love 40A: "____ a stinker?" (Bugs Bunny catchphrase) (AINTI). Way to make a partial fun. BORN / LOSERS crossing each other is cute. 52A: Some choice words (ORS) is great. 37D: Mason, notably (ATTORNEY) had me confused for a few moments before I recognized the nicely hidden capital.
I think my favorite today is 3D: Make beads, say (PERSPIRE). No question mark, and none needed. I thought it was going to have something to do with sweating, but I couldn't see it for a long time. Partly because I was stuck on 1A: Arctic resident (LAPP). I was thinking Antarctic. For those of Finnish heritage in the audience, I'll make that a B-.
ELY was a gimme, because we had a poster of that cathedral over our breakfast table growing up. The poster looked much like this:
- Colum
29:20
ReplyDeleteI plodded slowly through this one. I've been having kind of a slow week. But no matter, it all came out right in the end. And in stark contrast to you, the L of ELY was my very last entry!
Love the theme. Who doesn't love a spoonerism or (your eldest aside) the Beatles? Nobody doesn't, that's who.
Clueing MAY with Might is weird, but yes, it works. And I believe the Widener stacks used to be equipped with HALON. They took it out when people started to value one or two human lives as much as the entire collection, as anyone stuck in the stacks during the release of said gas would surely have died.
Good Thursday.
p.s. You really should try to get down to Stamford in early April. I'll be making my reservations in the next week or so.
24:29
ReplyDeleteDoes someone not appreciate "She's Leaving Home"? Of the theme answers, I thought that TRAYDIPPER was the biggest stretch and that PAPERRACKBITER vied with SHESHEAVINGLOAM as the most amusing. I loved AINTI, also, never having missed a "Bugs Bunny / Road Runner Show" 90-minute airing when growing up (and still wouldn't, were it still on). Not much to slow me down today (although one would never know it comparing my time to Colum's!). I loved the BERRA clue (6D The catcher in the wry?), but couldn't BLANC have been paired with the aforementioned AINTI? And mmmm...BEER.