I really enjoyed this puzzle, even if it went by too fast. Sometimes the tricksiness of Friday and Saturday clues works in one's favor, if one is alert to the likelihood. I had no difficulty with 1D: Island to which one is able to return? (ELBA), and with LALALAND in place, the NW fell very quickly.
23A: Singer of "I'm Your Man" and "Hallelujah" (LEONARDCOHEN) would have been more difficult to get if the second song had been more obscure. Say "Chelsea Hotel," or "Famous Blue Raincoat." Great songs.
I will go out on a limb and suggest that our thousands of readers are turning their noses up at LATEN. In combination with OBEAH and LISLE, the NE corner was not the finest example of gridwork. But I did like ICANTEVEN and 38A: Things that may be settled (OLDSCORES).
It was definitely clever to have old crossword standbys NEE and AKA symmetrically placed and clued with the same phrase ("Indication of another name").
Old friend OBOE gets a nice clue with 52D: Wind in a pit. It's never going to be a flute or a clarinet, folks. Always oboes. I do love an oboe, don't get me wrong. Lovely sound when it's played well. Pungent, even. But it's even more loved by crossword creators, because of all of those vowels.
Anyway, it's a fine Friday. Thanks to Ms. Ellerin.
- Colum
18:27
ReplyDeleteA little under three times as long as Colum's solve, and just about normal for me for a Friday. I, too, dropped ELBA right in, after entering ELCHAPO off of the clue. Really, ICANTEVEN think of any slowdowns anywhere. GANESH is always nice to see; we purchased an intricately-carved example while in Bali. JAPES is an unusual word, and nice that it crosses VAPE (and NASH). CREWCUT has a nice clue (9D Not quite a buzz, but almost), and RATHOLE is excellent. Really, I don't have much about which to complain in this puzzle, even LATEN.