So I says to Horace, I says, how about that ACPT? And then he says, ALLSIKNOWIS that there were no LETUPS. ANDTHENISAYS, maybe next year will be my year. And then he says, ODDSARE, it won't be. Then I says, next year's ALONGWAYSOFF. Then he says, HOWSABOUT getting on with the review? So I says, I'll finish this later.
I am going to STRAIT like the puzzle today. The theme revealer once again makes me wonder if the constructor started with STAKEOUT, or with a pet peeve against one or more of the theme answers. I can imagine either being true. :)
I enjoyed FLAGON, TYROS, RILE, CANON, TROIKA, and TOOSOON - which was used during the live commentating of the B final at the Tournament to good effect. I also liked the fact that although there were quite a number of threes, there were relatively few abbreviations (VPS, AGT), or other kinds of filler.
How can you IMPROV on UTOPIA? Stay tuned...
~Frannie
7:04 (fast for me)
ReplyDeleteNot nearly as Scrabbleicious as the ACPT final (in fact the only Scrabbleicious thing here is 1 across and 1 down, but I found it to be a pleasing combination). But I liked LUCKYYOU, UTOPIA, TROIKA (anyone else know the folk dance of that name? http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrSbgiyWdlYex8A5Axx.9w4;_ylu=X3oDMTE0bjZkdG9iBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDVUkyRkJUM18xBHNlYwNzcg--/RV=2/RE=1490668083/RO=10/RU=http%3a%2f%2fm.youtube.com%2fwatch%3fv%3dRYcMkhX7b-U/RK=0/RS=cpG9xZe88NzIjKQUtAkqQpAnudc- ), and ODDSARE. The clue for VPS was straightforward but surprisingly satisfying.
So agreed on the thumbs up.
That "too soon" comment at the ACPT was hilarious. I believe it was in relation to the "NO AIR" discussion. Which had me wondering whether the announcers had pre-planned some of their commentary. But that would have required advance access to the puzzles, which I doubt they would have been given (a privilege apparently granted only to the puzzle testers and chocolatiers). Another funny bit of commentary that seemed too good to be off the cuff was the observation about Tyler's dorm room.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I can tell, Ophira is just really good at IMPROV. At least, that's the impression I've had in previous years.
Delete6:28
ReplyDeleteAgree on the thumbs up. These phrases are everyone's pet peeves, aren't they? Nice review, Frannie, and you've already called out my favorite of the bunch, FLAGON. I could have done without BESTBUY, but really, there are no complaints from this quarter.
5:55
ReplyDeleteI gots nothin' against this one, either. The phrase "'S,' take out" is a tad odd, but I don't mind, really. Kind of a lot of O words, too, with AMO, MISO, PHO, TANGO, EURO, ARGO, and GLO. And if you take off the S, TYROS. Weird.
Mike - Thanks for checking us out and commenting!
And Jim - Frannie and I spent most of our non-puzzling time looking at people's name tags and trying to find you. Next time, I guess we'll have to plan a meet-up at the bar or in the lobby. Either that, or tell you our real names and let you try to find us, too. :)
Make sure to include me on the meet-up too. I'll need to find out what you had in that flask (flagon?) on the table during puzzle 5, since you finished the puzzle and I ran out of time. I intend next year to employ the flask method immediately after puzzle 4!
DeleteSorry you didn't find me. Some kind of meetup sounds good. I haven't made firm plans yet but I suppose I'll be at Lollapuzzoola and/or next year's ACPT.
DeleteOK, a meetup will be planned next year. And hopefully we can convince Colum to join us.
DeleteAs for the flask, it should contain whatever it is that you think might be able to smooth the rough puzzle five edges. And Mike - I think you must have been somewhat delirious from the beating, because I was still sitting there right beside you when they collected our papers. I improved a lot this year, and finished six puzzles without error (!), but there's still room for improvement next year. A lot of room! :)
Well, another fun year at ACPT. It was great to see you all, and I do wish we had a bit more time to chat. Catch me in the lobby or bar next year!
ReplyDeleteNice to see you and catch up a bit, Howard. Congrats on winning the Friday night games. That was definitely the more prestigious award this year. :)
Delete4:35
ReplyDeleteThe ACPT sounds like it was a lot of fun! Maybe next year... I enjoyed this puzzle immensely. Great theme, weird revealer. And TOOSOON was amazing.