Strange grid today, with a totally unchecked word. The theme is, I guess, pyramids, or ancient Egypt, and thematic fill includes PYRAMIDSCHEME (17A: Common scam), TOMBRAIDER (21D: Video game featuring an archaeologist heroine), PHARAOHANT (23D: Insect with multi-queen colonies), TUT (28A: King of the 18th dynasty), the afore-referred-to, unchecked MUMMY, and, possibly, LOOTERS, LAWBREAKERS, CAGEDUP, and ALIENS (45A: Builders of the pyramids). Just kidding about that last clue, but I've gotta believe they were thinking about that.
On the other hand, I don't really like "22A: Leave in a bad way" for STRAP. Are they talking about whipping someone with a strap? Yikes.
My error came at the ABBA (33A: Bishop's title in the Coptic Church) and OPERASERIA (4D: Work not of the buffa style) cross. I went with the French ABBe, and "Opera Serie" seemed like plausible French as well, but "buffa," I see, should have indicated Italian. Oh well... tough cross.
1A: Mitch who wrote the best seller "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" (ALBOM) gets a C-. Don't read, don't believe in Heaven. My first confident answer was PEEPER (11A: Tree frog with a distinctive call).
So meh from me. The unchecked word was rather bluntly clued, and I guess the puzzles hidden charms remained sealed off from me.
- Horace
p.s. I chose the photo of Harold Ramis that I thought looked most like Colum. :)
10:59
ReplyDeleteGreat grid shape, lots of open space. And there's a pyramid at the bottom, with the MUMMY entombed. I think they meant STRAP as in "strapped for cash". I hope so, anyway. I wanted the unchecked squares to be rebuses, with two letters in each. Clearly not, but that would have been fun. TOMBRAIDER was good. I would have chosen a picture from that rather than some guy who looked like me. I mean really.
<30:00, but with an omission.
ReplyDeleteHere's the thing. I finished the grid proper in around 20 or so minutes, but what the ach eee double-hockey-sticks is "50A See Notepad" supposed to mean. I mean, what does it have to do with a MUMMY? So I left that blank. And I even woke in the night and thought long and hard about it for at least a half-hour. Stupid clue. OK puzzle otherwise. Look forward to hearing the PEEPERs in the spring.