Shh... Listen. Do you smell that?
Ah, Ghostbusters. Hope says you can find a quote from Auntie Mame for any situation. The same could perhaps be said of Ghostbusters.
Anyway, it's not a common thing that the revealer of a puzzle conforms to the theme as well. So I enjoyed that HUSHHUSH had the "shh" present as well, although the clue was a little too self-satisfied for my taste. All five theme answers are solid. I will say I knew what the theme was going to be before I got to the revealer, more or less.
The rest of the puzzle is reasonably solid as well. There are only two 8-letter answers, and a whole bunch of 7- and 6-letter answers, so nothing razzle-dazzle, really. I like NORTHSEA and RUTHLESS, both of which have to make use of one of the doubled Hs in the theme answers.
1A: Psychedelic drug (LSD) gets a C-. Just below average. I never like starting a puzzle on a 3-letter answer.
How sad to have ALTAR and PRENUPS in the same puzzle. Very cynical. If you're going to have SOFA and SAT in a puzzle, it's nice to clue them in parallel fashion (with a Davenport). IGNEOUS is very good. Does anyone have some Chateau LAFITTE we could sip on?
- Colum
9:12
ReplyDeleteI have some Chateau Haut Brion (1966); will that do? I'm back now. This ran a bit slow for a Monday for me, but EVENSO, it was enjoyable...a nice way to get back into the swing of things. I wouldn't have been quite so hard on LSD, but I see your point on starting a puzzle with a three. I liked CANIT, REAMED and INSPACE, and thought the clue for FISHHOOK (56A It's at the end of the line) was nice. Also, FUSSPOT brings to mind Lucy Van Pelt (although I think it was "fussbudget" maybe) and I also enjoyed seeing SPHERE and FURTHER (a band associated with members of the Grateful Dead).
4:40
ReplyDeleteA three and an abbreviation. Now when they find a way to work in "lysergicaciddiethylamide" I'll be much more impressed.
Welcome back, Huygens. A week in the SUMMERY tropics gazing up INSPACE at that bright SPHERE has probably been a DRAINER (OOH) on your puzzlin' skills.
Lots to like in this one. A solid Monday.
Thanks. Two-and-a-half weeks, though. I'm probably a bit rusty, although I did, at one point, get an "International New York Times," on a Friday, I think, and did the puzzle with no problem.
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