Monday, June 19, 2017

Monday, June 19, 2017, Susan Gelfand

6:49

Entertaining theme today - combining the last names of two singers creates a common expression. My favorite is PAGETURNER (Singers Patti and Tina?) because a student named Paige who worked for me until recently told me she wanted to marry a man with the last name Turner so she could be Paige Turner. I also liked URBANLEGEND (Singers Keith and John?). The theme puts me in mind of wedding and engagement announcements that are printed with the future bride and groom's last names at the top. We have one excellent example from Horace's father that read Lowd-Noyes. :)

In addition to the fun theme, there was some good dictionary LOOT, with Gs and Bs GALORE: GALLS, GRIME, and SLOG, plus BLEW, BALMSBONY, and BLING. Va-va-VOOM!



A few clue/answer pairs were less than PARFAITS including "From what IVE seen ..." at 20A and Govt. rules (REGS) at 21D, but nothing to get in a SNIT about. I thought 37D. Tool part used to create holes (DRILLBIT) could have had a better clue, like maybe 'Jumping Jack or push up, e.g.' And speaking of alternative clues, how about 'Puts the family on a diet?' for THINSKIN? Ha! I challenge you, dear readers, to come up with a clever clue for UVEA. I really wish constructors would turn a blind eye to that one.

~Frannie

4 comments:

  1. The basic problem with UVEA is that we see it enough that we'd probably tire of even clever ways to clue it. Best I thought of in a few seconds was "the eyes have them" for UVEAS but the whole singular/plural thing kind of dooms that one.

    Oh, and it a good thing that DRemelBIT has more letters than DRILLBIT or who knows how long it would have taken me to fix it. Yet another case of pulling out the obscure knowledge when the answer is much more straightforward.

    Favorite answer was VINEGAR. Just because I filled it in from crosses before I read the clue? I suppose, because my mind is very much on vinegar flies rather than potato chips when I think of it.

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  2. 3:48
    I always enjoy a "pinwheel" theme, as I am calling it, where answers run both across and down. And who doesn't love STENCILS? Such a lovely word.
    And speaking of them thinking of clever ways to clue things, what about yesterday's "Railroad name starting in 1832" for "ERIE?" That surprised me!
    And yes, Frannie, that clue for "thins kin" is very clever. :)

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  3. 5:48
    Surprising theme for a Monday. Frannie's DRILLBIT clue would definitely be apropos for a Wednesday-on puzzle. Both PARFAITS and salt and VINEGAR chips are favorites of this solver, so for Huygens, they loosely fit with the DUETS theme.

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