I got a BOOST on the solve today by having read the article about MARTIN LUTHER in this week's New Yorker two minutes before starting the puzzle. Talk about quelle coïncidence! The theme answers went in like a hot knife through butter. If I had to pick a favorite theme answer, I would choose INDULGENCES - not the Catholic Church kind, but the fine-dark-chocolate-and-coffee or onion-dip-and-Sunday-Night-Football kind.
Other supporting religion-related fill included APRIL (Easter's month, usually), HIJAB, AVE, DOGMA, and LIE. ;)
We got a couple of yuks at 4D "French bean? (TETE), 46D "Post production?" (CEREAL), and my favorite, 56D. "Newspaper piece that always starts at the end? (OBIT) - ha! A nice twist on an old chestnut. I also liked MAPLE, RIOTS, RAGER, PUGETSOUND, and WINERIES.
There were a few more things "that are Ceasar's" in the puzzle than IDIG like IAMS, AER Lingus, NESTEA, ATARI, PAM, and TCM, but others may not AGREE.
It's time to put on your Sunday best because solving times at the head of the review are going to take a NOSEDIVE starting tomorrow when our esteemed co-blogger Mr. Amory takes over.
Peace out.
~Frannie.
7:48
ReplyDeleteWith this much theme density I would have thought we'd get a bunch etuis, idos, forced acronyms, and the like. But we get NOSEDIVE, TETE, OBIT, FLESH (nicely clued), and those are just the downs.
Sure, not quite as much a fan of RAGER, TCM (whatever that is), RATSO, and a few others, but on the whole quite pleasurable. Loved the theme (nice set of related entries, topic is a bit off the beaten path but not so obscure to be unknown to most people).
7:03
ReplyDeleteI believe that TCM is Turner Classic Movies, but I could be wrong. IBSEN is always welcome, even though he joins so many other proper nouns (not theme-related) like ALAMO, PUGETSOUND, RATSO, SHEEN, JLO, IAMS, TAFT, MARC, HAAS, UTAH, ATARI and SCOT. A timely theme, even though I expected a Halloweeny one. But unlike Frannie, I read about the MARTIN LUTHER connection after completing the puzzle, so some of the entries, like ALLSAINTSCHURCH took a couple of crosses, but obviously didn't slow me down too much.