A tasty theme from Ms. Gorski, naming seven different kinds of cake: six edible, one audible. I prefer the edible, especially CRUMB and CARROT. Mmmm.... CARROT CAKES.... And all the cakes are "LAYER"ed in little stacks, which makes the revealer (LAYER CAKES) work. So B+ on the theme.
And maybe it's the fact that the theme is so compact and segregated (one block in the middle and the rest on the edges), or maybe it's just Ms. Gorski's skill, but the non-theme material seemed especially nice today. I loved coming across such words as SKULK (8D: Hide in the shadows), PLUNK (39D: Drop heavily), CARNATION (51A: Pink shade), and KLEPTOMANIA (11D: Problem with lifting?). That last one is my favorite clue/answer today. When I first looked at it, I already had the K at the top, and my first thought ran to something like "Knee pain..." Ha!
And do you ever notice that if you've already been put into a good mood while doing a puzzle, maybe by answers like LORELEI (20A: "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" blonde), TRIUMPH (30A: Come out on top), or SALVO (24A: Volley), that things like III (69A: Sundial three), and LALA (43A: ____ land) don't bother you at all? And the clues for ANTI (33A: Non-pro?) and UMPS (38A: Ones watching their plates?) are good, too. I've never heard of the HAI river basin, or SAMSA (40D: "The Metamorphosis" protagonist) (I really ought to read more...), but I don't care. I liked it.
Overall, a very good Tuesday.
- Horace
p.s. Remember MITT? He seems so normal and almost acceptable in retrospect...
5:28
ReplyDeleteLITTLERHODY? I have never heard of this nickname. Please someone prove me wrong. It is prominently supported on Wikipedia. BTW I really enjoyed this puzzle. There is a ton of glue around the theme answers, but the NE and SW sections are very nice.
17:57
ReplyDeleteUnusually long time for me for a Tuesday. I got kind of hung up on the east coast with SAMSA (whom I've never heard of either), FOULUPS (I had FOibleS and FOllieS for a bit) and the cross of TENPINS (49A Bowling), as I'd never heard of that used in that manner (I've heard "ten pin bowling"), but I guess it's OK. Good, challenging Tuesday, at least for me.