I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that I'm writing from the birthplace of this blog, the very cradle, if you will, of Horace and Frances. I'm proud of myself that I solved this Saturday at about 1:30 in the morning after many intoxicants were imbibed.
Perhaps it was that very state that enabled me to plop in 1A: Where to belt one down and belt one out (KARAOKEBAR) right off the bat. Or maybe that clue, as fun as it is, is too easy for a Saturday. Regardless, I like it and give it a B+. The other two answers in the initial triple stack are also well clued. 15A: No-so-firm affirmative (IBELIEVESO) is cute, and 17A: Ones hitting snares (DRUMSTICKS) was the most opaque at first.
The theme of this themeless seems to be great long answers at the expense of less than thrilling fill. REUNE, OIS, and KETT are the price we pay for those initial answers. BECLOUD is also a little less than exciting.
The SW trio is pretty good. I had not particularly noted, but both Horace and Frances said they didn't like the clue at 33D: Great point (SWEETSPOT). I suppose if you take it completely literally, a place that you think is really nice could be either. If you mean the place to hit a baseball really well, then that's not so good.
14D: Opportunity, e.g. (MARSROVER) needed a lot of crosses, as did 13D: Opening for an E.P.A. worker? (OZONEHOLE). I really didn't like ATOR. And was there actually a BATPOLE? Perhaps in the Adam West version (and is there any other one, really?).
The best trio is in the SE. I love SINEQUANON and SEXPISTOLS (but I think there should have been a "the" in the clue). 59D: One of about 1,000 in Lux. (SQMI) was found entirely by crosses.
My favorite answers are right across the middle, with SPACECADET and EISENHOWER. We were just discussing the ARNO over breakfast. I want to go back.
- Colum
P.S. IDA! Unexpected reference to the lowest tier of G&S.
28:36
ReplyDeleteVery fast solve for me for a Saturday. I dropped MARSROVER in off of the clue, but it took me way too long to come up with LETITSNOw, even though, of course, I've heard that song many hundreds of times. Part of the problem was that I entered BATcavE first, and didn't correct it for a while. SWEETSPOT is questionable. SPACECADET and CREAMSICLE are great, but there is a bit too much junk for a Saturday. Friday's offering was much more clean.
26:29
ReplyDeleteBeing a few years older than you, I can attest that the Bat Pole was Bruce Wayne's (although, not Alfred's) regular method of rapid descent into the Bat Cave in the TV series. It seems to have disappeared in the more-modern movies. I guess sliding down a pole isn't as cool as it used to be.