Another African capital learned today, N'Djamena, CHAD, but it was not my first entry - that was JAM (9A: Printer problem). I give 1A a B for geographic reasons. Off of CHAD, however, we get one fine answer, CROWN (1D: Feature of the Budweiser logo), and three slightly obscure answers, HATHA (2D: Kind of yoga), ARBYS (3D: "We have the meats" chain), and DESICA (4D: "Two Women" director). Why do we get these? Because the first part of the theme starts with "whyi:" WHYISARAVENLIKE AWRITINGDESK?
I read Alice in Wonderland and loved it, but I did not remember this riddle, which is apparently quite famous. Googling it brings up a lot, including this puzzle's given answer, BECAUSEPOEWROTE ONBOTHOFTHEM, which was (without the final "of them") the creation of Sam Loyd, a man once called "America's greatest puzzler" by Scientific American. He is also credited with this alternate answer: "Because the notes for which they are noted are not noted for being musical notes." Not bad, but harder, perhaps, to squeeze into a 15x15 grid.
So there's the theme. Quote answers are often opaque, and not our favorites, but the inclusion of the "Mad Hatter riddle" detail might have been enough for some solvers. Not for me.
The fill strains in several areas, with NOGS, AOK, SWEE, and SURER. The cross of TEENER (49A: Typical user of a transistor radio) (really??) and ERAGON (27D: First novel in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle) was my last square, and I wouldn't be surprised if others finished there, too. TEENER?! Sure, I put a transistor under my pillow so I could listen to the ballgames back in the '70s, but has any other teenager used a transistor radio in the past decade? Would any know how to operate one?...
Still, I liked the riddle and its answer, and I enjoyed MILKDUD (I'm still working through that Halloween candy!), TEACOZY (Could, perhaps, have been tied to the theme), DEMEAN (tried "DEMote"), and a few other bits. On balance, thumbs up.
- Horace
18:05
ReplyDeleteI forgot we'd be on a new schedule with Horace reviewing! I've got to catch up now. I liked PANAM, even though it's a brand name, and NASCAR was not expected but not surprising. I loved the Mad Hatter theme, of course. And I fully agree with Horace regarding TEENER. I mean, I still have a Radio Shack AM personal-size transistor radio, in it's box, but I'm not a TEENER, and I don't ever use it. Maybe TEENER is what older folks called teens back in the early 70s. I didn't love all of the CHAD, OMAN, SUEZ, ARAB, OSLO stuff, and ERAGON is completely unknown to me. Also, I always put OLAf in first where OLAV belongs...when will I learn? Even with all of that, though, I did, as usual, enjoy the puzzle on balance.
9:25
ReplyDeleteGot really stuck figuring out that middle section. SERIN is a hard get, and the others were generic enough that it took recognizing that the Bridgegate thing would end in "up", which gave me LURES, and finally...
I am reminded of Jack Point's wasted conundrum: Why is a cook's brain-pan like an overwound clock? I actually tried to fit that in initially.
With the exception of TEENER, this was a fairly nice puzzle. No guilt whatsoever about googling for the crosses of TEENER (well, ERAGON specifically which is a fair answer even though I wasn't likely to come up with it).
ReplyDeleteI too had trouble with SERIN and nearby answers, but the rest of the puzzle was more or less gettable for me. Sure, the clue for IDOL didn't help much but the crosses made it fairly clear. Favorite clue? Maybe the one for SUIT. Tarot is kind of in that sweet spot of being rare enough to not be tired, but common enough to not be unfair.
With the exception of TEENER, this was a fairly nice puzzle. No guilt whatsoever about googling for the crosses of TEENER (well, ERAGON specifically which is a fair answer even though I wasn't likely to come up with it).
ReplyDeleteI too had trouble with SERIN and nearby answers, but the rest of the puzzle was more or less gettable for me. Sure, the clue for IDOL didn't help much but the crosses made it fairly clear. Favorite clue? Maybe the one for SUIT. Tarot is kind of in that sweet spot of being rare enough to not be tired, but common enough to not be unfair.