A pinwheel grid today, with thick corners and a thicker middle. So like us...
I got into this one slowly, first putting in "thusly" for 7A: In this manner. That was soon corrected to LIKESO by the downs, especially KAPOW (9D: Comic book sound effect). My years of watching the Adam West "Batman" have stood me in good stead. :)
From that comic violence and the mayhem of RANAMOK, we transition through some sporting over-exuberance (RAGINCAJUNS) before we get to the ugly realm of GATS and KNEECAPPING (18D: Punishment used by some hit men). YIPE. CANTI just not think about that? Haven't I read about some kind of GAGLAW at the NYTX that keeps out of the puzzle the kinds of things you wouldn't want to think about at breakfast? Oh, maybe I'm just being a BADSPORT and I should just GRIN, hit the KEGS, and stop being the one who likes to HISS.
On the upside, HIPSTERCRED (29A: Bona fides from fellow cool people) seems timely. (Are hipsters still in vogue?) I liked dropping in CATTOY (57A: Ball of yarn, maybe), and on the other side, OREOOS (56A: Chocolaty Post cereal) is one of those "looks crazy in the grid" entries, which are always nice.
This did present a challenge, especially in that NW corner, but when I finished I was more relieved than satisfied. Maybe it was all the OPAH, SNERD, ALINER, IRRUPT, SERTA, ALTRIA (?), and AFLAC -type entries. And some of the longer entries (TRIALJUDGES, BETARELEASE, didn't have the desired zippiness.
Oh well. You can't win 'em all, eh?
Onward!
- Horace
9:52
ReplyDeleteYes, some tough going in places. My hardest section was the SW, where I had overconfidently put SAn in, making ALPHA look wrong. But I do love OREOOS. I also enjoyed 3D: Is rewarded for service (GETSATIP).
16:54
ReplyDeleteTypical Friday difficulty, I thought. I was slowed a bit by the PIERCEARROW, where I wanted a Packard model to somehow fit in there. I've never tried OREOOS, but am sure I'd enjoy a bowl. There's just not much call for a cereal around the YBH, unless the nephew and niece from MN are visiting, that is. I'm unfamiliar with the 1957 Jimmy Dorsey hit SORARE, but that didn't slow me down much, and I happily dropped in EMOPOP at 10D, even though I don't know Fall Out Boy. I tried BETAvErsion, which fit, but the crosses corrected that bit, and I also tried RAGINgbullS. All of these slowdowns cost me about two or three minutes, I'd guess.