An odd grid shape today, with those four, thick corners and the sides connected by 14-letter answers. I like the water theme apparent in SEAMOSS (21A: Algae touted as a superfood), SNORKEL (22A: Equipment used with goggles), SPINNAKER (9D: Three-cornered sail). Appropriate, as Frannie and I just got out of the Atlantic Ocean minutes ago, where we were punished by ROGUE waves. Well, they weren't true ROGUE waves, but they sure were big! Oh, the PATHOS!
Doesn't DEARSIRORMADAM (16D: Formal opening) immediately make you think of "Paperback Writer?" Well, it does me.
I love the words NONCE (2D: Specific occasion) and COPSE (44D: Thicket), and YODEL and SPANK are fun up in the NE. BOTCH (48D: Screw up), ANOINT (42D; Formally choose), ECHELON (19A: Level), TANDOOR (55A: Indian restaurant fixture)... so much good material. Then you've got the fun conversational stuff like ISTHATALL (3D: Sassy response to a scolding), NOSHADE (14A: "Don't mean any disrespect," in modern lingo). Nice.
One last thing - it took me waaay too long to figure out CHIANTI (57A: Major Tuscan export). I had the "TI" at the end, but there were just more letters than I was expecting in front of that.
- Horace
14:02 - nice time, Horace!
ReplyDeleteI thank Mr. Steinberg for CHIANTI. It got me going in that SE corner. As always, my biggest complaint is the segmentation. I had finished three quarters, but had no more help available for the NW. Finally I figured out CARLOTS and the rest fell.