Count me among those who liked this puzzle. I enjoyed the two-level clue structure where you had to COUNTTHESQUARES in the answer, and then think of a thing with that many of the thing specified in the clue. For example, the answer to 52A. "It has this many legs" [8] is ARACHNID. I would never have gotten the theme answer for 21A. "It borders this many other states" (MISSOURI) without the downs. Well, without the downs, or a map of the U.S. My favorite, as a former swimmer and '70's Olympics follower, is 57A. "He won this many Olympic gold medals" MARKSPITZ [9]. He was like the BEETHOVEN of swimming!
Other answers I number among my favorites include POKE, CUTUP, CROUPIER, HAUGHTY (the word not the attitude), and ULULATES. And who doesn't like a STEIN of PABSTS' ALE? Maybe with a nice bowl of OREOOS.
I didn't figure out the clever clue "It's only half due" (UNO) until I looked at it again just now. Ha!
Two of my number one poets make it into the grid today: I love AEHOUSEMAN and Ogden NASH - panities! Plus, we have the great, if depressing, quote by Golding "Man produces EVIL as a bee produces honey." Sigh.
I'm not a RIA fan. The same goes for UNIV, NOV, MTS, and LTCOL, but ALIF.
~Frannie.
7:42
ReplyDeleteBoy, I tore through this thing faster than yesterday's! And in the beginning, I wasn't really setting out for speed, it being a Thursday and all. But when AEHOUSEMAN went in off the clue, that whole area fell fast. I got MISSOURI from the last four or five letters, and I was very confused at first, because I thought first of the clue number as being involved, and no state borders 21 others!
Fun puzzle!
Also, it might be worth mentioning that my avatar on this blog is none other than Mr. 10-Down himself!
ReplyDelete4:43
ReplyDeleteYeah, that went fast for a Thursday. I must have set my record for the day. I got the theme with 17A, and the rest fell from crosses. I hit 35A from the back end, dropping from AEHOUSMAN. I had _____ARES and dropped the whole thing in.
It's a great puzzle with a lot of outstanding answers. I love the concept, but it was just too easy!
24:38
ReplyDeleteI found it relatively easy, too, but I see that I'm the slowest of the bunch by far. In fact, I come up with a total of 27:36 for the above, which I bested by a mere 2:58! I got the theme off of BEETHOVEN, obvie. I've seen "Hair" but would never have gotten RINSO without the crosses, one of which was FROZEN, which I've not seen.