Hello everyone! A great two weeks of reviews by Frannie and Horace have to come to an end at some point, so you're stuck with my reviews for this week. But that's okay - I always have a ton of interesting material to share with everyone. I have a little daydream that people all across the US of A (and, indeed, the world) are breathlessly awaiting the publication of our little blog. So please, don't tell me the truth of the matter...
Anyway, today we get six theme answers which have been massaged so that you get six pairs of doubled letters consecutively. I would argue that the title of the puzzle should really be "six doubles," but that doesn't mean anything.
The best examples of this concept will either have unexpected doubled letters, or will make you chuckle at the absurdity of the image conjured. Thus, 23A: Low singers, short on money, draw idly (BASSIINNEEDDOODLE) wins on the first count, while 75A: Designer Mizrahi shouts like a cowboy in a nonchalant way (ISAACCOOLLYYEEHAWS) definitely scores points for the absurdity of it all. Of course, the word "bookkeeping" finds its way into the puzzle, as well it should.
Some fine cluing is to be found in the puzzle as well. I particularly enjoyed:
33D: It's more attractive the closer you are to it (MAGNET).
87D: Crib users (CHEATERS) - hah! That's very nice.
There are only three QMCs, and none of them are that interesting.
Other entries I liked were OYVEY, ROREM, and SURCEASE, which I would typically think of as a noun, meaning "end" or "cessation," but here is used as a verb. And with that, I surcease my review.
- Colum
Super fun! I had a great time cracking up at the delicious absurdity of the theme answers.
ReplyDelete26:42 (FWTE (3))
ReplyDeleteNormally, I'd count that as a DNF, but I consider HEIDEN crossing UTE and ROLFE crossing ROREM to be Naticks. I should have known DEA, but I tried mEA and UTa. wOLFE seemed reasonable to me. The theme was enjoyable, but as often happens with these, once I knew the trick, I could quickly fill in the theme answers, hence the time under 30.
Eric HEIDEN should be a gimme for anyone our age, and John ROLFE should at least be familiar.
ReplyDeleteThe theme is absurd, but so absolutely so that I ended up liking it.
SURCEASE brings to mind Poe, obviously, and that's never a bad thing.