Hah! This theme made me laugh out loud. A duck, a duck, and a goose are hidden in three long theme answers. TRIBU[TEAL]BUMS, APARTH[EIDER]A, and SWOR[NENE]MIES. Very nice.
The long down fill is full of good answers, too. GUSSIEDUP (11D: Dressed to the nines), NOGOODNIK (34D: Baddie), SLICKERS (41D: Rain jackets), PETUNIA (Flower that's also a girl's name) (could have been so many things…), all of these are strong. And yes, ENACTOR (44D: Legislator) is not good, but I'll take it, because we've also got SCRIMP (23A: Be extremely frugal), ROGUE (43A: Go ____ (no longer follow orders)), and PAGAN (9A: Wiccan or Druid). It's a high-quality grid, I'm telling you. And this is a Monday! I even like the bold ABORC (2D: Multiple-choice options)! And all we PAY is a little ESO HERE, a little ALA there… that kind of thing leaves no SCAR.
1A: Taxis (CABS) gets a C+. The plus is for not cluing it as wine. It was my first confident answer.
Thumbs up, AMIGO, thumbs up.
- Horace
3:59 (1 typo error at PONES)
ReplyDeleteGood theme, well done hiding of the words across two word phrases. Favorite answer is NOGOODNIK.
Totally agreed that the theme is fun, and all three are crosswordese to boot (which wouldn't normally be a positive, but somehow it is fun here). Some nice fill too (such as PAGAN and PUNT, even BULB although I would have clued that one in terms of plants). Toughest cross for me was USGA crossing DUNST - could imagine various Golf Associations and, well, actors.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, a SOOTHEing puzzle.
7:15
ReplyDeleteExcellent Monday. I tried TRIBUTEbands (didn't fit) and TRIBUTEmovieS (didn't work) before I got a couple of crosses. And though I saw many signs while driving in Hawai'i warning us to be on the lookout for crossing NENEs, I never ESPY'd one CROPUP.