VEGETABLESHORTENING is the revealer for today's theme. The vegetables BEET, CORN, KALE, CHIVE, TOMATO, and OKRA are squashed into rebus squares in six longer answers. [CH][IV]E was a weird one because it included one letter that wasn't rebused, unlike the rest. This kind of theme makes me wonder where the constructor got the idea for the puzzle in the first place. Was it noticing that COSMOKRAMER contained the word OKRA, or the fact that the word TOMATO appears in SYMPTOMATOLOGY? It's a fine theme, but there's no connection between the vegetable and the clue/answer in which it is found, which makes it less entertaining than some.
My iPad was on the fritz (it's better now, thank you), so Horace and I did this puzzle together on his iPad on the porch of the family beach cottage. Our niece helped us with 4D. NALA (Lion in "The Lion King") - apparently Scar was another potential candidate - and, as she hails from those parts, Minnesota's state bird (LOON).
I couldn't help thinking that Huygens might have wanted a different answer for 109D. Ta-tas (BYES).
121A. Like those who really have guts? (OBESE) - funny.
80D. Do House work (LEGISLATE) - nice not-so-hidden capital
36D. Many a character on "The Big Bang Theory" (TREKKIE) - same.
I was ATSEA when it came to British politician Farage (NIGEL). And I think extreme UNCTION should be called on OVATE (14A. Like most grapes). I would prefer people ovoid that word. :)
~Frannie
I liked this one okay. I think it's NATIONALAR[CH][IV][ES], with the crossing being CABL[ES] (note the plural in the clue). I do like me a rebus.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, Colum! We entered NATIONALARCHIVE and CABLE, got the Congratulations! message, and never looked back. Thanks for the clarification. It makes so much more sense this way.
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ReplyDeleteNice one today; everyone loves a somewhat-rebus. I was, indeed, trying to find a way to crowbar in the alternative answer to BYES at 109D, Frannie, but to no avail. Shout out to KYOTO in there, a place where I'd like to spend more time some day, having some SAKE, no doubt. Least favorite long: ASIANLONGHORNED[BE][ET]LE, just because they're just so much darned trouble. Who knew that Eddie RABBITT has two Ts?