A relatively easy Friday, which was a relief for this solver after her epic struggles with the Wednesday and Thursday puzzles. I'm not sure if the clues were easier, or if the topics were just more in my wheelhouse, but I suppose that's always something of a GRAYAREA.
Kind of a chunky puzzle with three tens each across the top and bottom and all those eights and nines down the sides. My favorite ten was IVECHANGED ("That's not me anymore"). I was vexed at first about the answer to "Tahoe, for one" (ALPINELAKE), but, I looked it up and it turns out I was taking the "alp" in alpine too literally. Apparently, it refers to any lake or reservoir at high altitudes. The Wikipedia page includes a list of famous alpine lakes, none of which are in the actual Alps. How's that for a nice TABLESCRAP of information? As concerns the downs, that SANTAANA on the far right sure looked weird, didn't it? Nice olio of A's and N's.
I had the most trouble with the south west where "Traditional retirement present" (PEN) - I was thinking of something a little more spendy like 'watch' - "Selection ____" (BIAS), "Fluff pieces" (LINT), "Stuffed appetizer" (SAMOSA) - love those, but was thinking 'olive'! - and "Funny Martha" (RAYE) slowed me down. I also had a tough time with 37D. Bills are found in it (AFCEAST), thinking, as intended, of the wrong kind of bills, compounded by the fact that I don't know which teams are in which conferences (damn sports ball :).
In reviewing the puzzle just now I realize I misunderstood the clue "Pitched horizontally" thinking it referred to some kind of angle, but no, a throw. And, although I was able to fill in BPLUS for "88 or 89", I confusedly misparsed it as BP LUS, which I decided was some kind of blood pressure measure. What justifications won't the brain come up with?
One of my least favorite fill answers is SAC. UGH. :)
~Frannie.
My one error was AFlEAST which I could try to justify saying that the AFC used to be the AFL but that's a bit weak. Don't know if it even had an east, or Bills, back then. And so I also hit your least favorite answer, SAl, er SAC, with that.
ReplyDeleteBut my favorite problem (which I did eventually correct from crosses although it took a while) was mWAHAHA instead of BWAHAHA.
11:04
ReplyDeleteStop saying SAC! ... :)
I liked this one all right. THROATS (What officials need to get cleared before speaking?) and TWERK (Move behind?) were somewhat amusing, and I love the word "wheedles."
I loved it! I loved it because I didn't have to cheat even once! (Okay, maybe just once...but don't tell anybody) :-)
ReplyDeleteKelly, did you rely on AIDS for a crossword solver (an almanac, or Google?) :)
Delete6:28
ReplyDeleteSo smooth. TAKEI was a great entree, because it opened up the entire NW. I love BWAHAHA. That's just perfect.
37-Across is an invalid answer for any self-respecting X-word solver. Otherwise, a fun, relatively easy Friday. Loved the KALECAESAR pun.
ReplyDeleteI, too, bristled at 37A, and I didn't even notice the salad pun. Too bad this didn't run on the ides.
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