This had to be one of my fastest Saturdays ever. I dropped in TAHITI (2D: Stop for James Cook when circumnavigating the globe) and ATEMPO (3D: Getting back to speed, musically), and then KIMMEL (20A: Colbert competitor) and STPETER (24A: Metaphorical rock of Matthew 16:18) and it was off to the races. STPETER was kind of a gimme on Easter weekend, wasn't it? Also, it reminds me of the old joke that the Catholic church was built on a pun. Matthew 16:18 reads, in Latin: "Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam," which plays on the fact that "Petrus" (Peter) and "petram" (rock) are the same word in the nominative and the accusative. "You are Rock, and on this rock I will build my church," or, "You are Peter, and on this Peter I will build my church." Happy Easter!
Moving on... KANSAN (26A: Auntie Em, e.g.) really set up TOTO (29A: Band that shares its name with a film canine), didn't it? And of the central three 12-letter answers, only HITTHEBRICKS (33A: Skedaddle) has any zip. I have never heard the phrase SPACETOURISTS (36A: Ones counting down to vacation time?), and I still don't really understand it. And PHONESERVICE (38A: It's included in many bundles) is just boring. Kind of like IONIC (39A: ____ compound). But NORM, ironically, was one I found entertaining because of the clue - "40A: What you can expect."
I also enjoyed CLASSACT (11D: Very fair, admirable sort), THEJONESES (56A: Object of envious comparison), PITFALL (38D: Unforeseen trouble), and JIM (57D: "Star Trek" captain, to friends). AWAG (54A: Like many canine tails, quaintly) and THORO (30D: Sweeping, for short), I would fain SHOOAWAY.
1A: Walks or runs (STAT). B-. Elevated by the verb-seeking clue.
Favorite: 49A: Epithet for Louis VI, with "the" (FAT) - Poor guy.
Least: Maybe NOISEMAKERS (27D: Annual party favors). Too vague.
So overall, I found this a mixed bag. Certainly there were some nice entries, but it was a bit boring in parts, and was clued too easy. Bring on the BRIMSTONE!
- Horace
15:44
ReplyDeleteI saw your time by accident this morning, and felt challenged. I did not rise to said challenge, though. Great time! I too entered with ATEMPO, then OATH, but confused myself by putting "aim" in at 18D: Ready follower? (SET) - that did not need a question mark, IMO.
I also tried cRest at 5A (ORALB), but took it out pretty quickly. How BLEAK was my puberty, as Auntie Mame would have said.
I kind of sprinkled things here and there, and it all came together eventually. I agree that SPACETOURISTS is a shrug of an answer, slightly better than PHONESERVICE. DOTEDU took a long time to come together.
18:10
ReplyDeleteThose of us paying attention to such things have been hearing of space tourism (and thus SPACETOURISTS) for several years now. Some have already purchased tickets, and are counting down to the countdown. The least expensive ticket so far (that I've seen) is $200,000. And haven't there been a couple of individuals that plunked down a few mil to hitch a ride already? Anyway, I never heard of JAGR, but the crosses went right in. I liked OEUVRE and SEXY (finally!), as well as its clue 52D Hot. I TAKETO a CHEESECAKE, but not a TOXIN. I give this an enthusiastic thumbs-up because of my stellar time (for me).
25:03
ReplyDeleteWow, you guys got some great times.
Even with getting all of the sports entries immediately (three freebies on a Saturday!) it still took quite a while to work through the rest of it. DOTEDU being the last to fall.
12:39
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna guess that I had an advantage over most, if not all (Colum?), of you with the plethora of sports clues. IOC, Jarome JAGR, Sandy LYLE (at the time in 1988 only the second player to win The Masters outright with a birdie on 18. Arnold Palmer was the other in 1960. Art Wall birdied 18 and won the previous year over Palmer, but was in the clubhouse waiting and did not drain the putt to win. Same for Gary Player in 1978. That's what I always think about with Sandy Lyle. BTW, two others have birdied 18 to win since), Boomer ESIASON, Australian IAN Thorpe, and the wonderfully clued, and pictured, PONYTAIL all went right in.
I also liked THEJONESES, the long spelling of OMELETTES, and have no problem with SPACETOURISTS. It's definitely a thing, if as futuristic as bundled PHONESERVICE is passe.