BASING my rating on my solve time, I'd say this one was pretty easy. Although, traditionally, Friday puzzles are themeless, I thought I detected one or two rogue THAMES in the grid including word shortenings like MORPH, PHENOM, and TOTES ; food bits such as CHIPOTLE (smoked jalapeno! who knew?), EXTRACRISPY (I preferred original recipe, back in the day), MCCAFE (Starbucks competitor?) - (ETUDE Brute?), STREETFOOD, and, for our local readers, SHAYS ; and, last but not least expressions-whose-principle-vowel-is-the-letter-O: YOOHOO, OOH, and, my favorite, SONOFA. :)
Clues which, if they had hands, I would have high FIFED:
Barely communicate? (SEXT)
Title character not requiring an actor (GODOT)
19th-century author whose works are still read word for word (ROGET)
Although, as I said, the puzzle was on the easy side, things did get a little MESSI for me in the middle when I tried COrny instead of CONIC (Like Bugles snacks). It didn't help that I am not familiar with MIASARA - I'm not even sure how to parse that to make a name - But, that was really my only trouble spot. While we often expect more of a challenge on a Friday, if I may MAXIMize for a moment, don't look a gift solve in the mouth.
6:38
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle, but definitely on the easy side for a Friday. I was slowed a touch by putting in STEPsOn instead of STEPMOM. Very smooth, Mr. Barkin!
25:50
ReplyDeleteThis one took me a little longer than usual for a Friday solve, bucking the above trend. My major slowdown came in the NE; the rest of the puzzle fell pretty quickly. I was an EXTRACRISPY fan back when I ate that sort of thing (eleven years ago, now). In addition to Frannie's picks, I thought that TARANTULA was amusing as well as IHATETOASK. THELORAX is one of my least favorite Seuss efforts, and ROGUEONE was a surprising movie in that everyone seems to die at the end.
Umm, spoiler alert? :)
DeleteI mulled over mentioning that, but it's an older movie now. Sorry.
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