A remarkably multi-faceted theme today! Circles, shaded squares, grid shape, and thematic content all contribute to the puzzle's a veritable smorgasbord of theme material. We have four herbs, DILL, CHIVES, MINT, and SAGE appearing in shaded squares, each "growing" up from a POT formed by black squares filled with the circled letters S E E D. And if that's not enough, the whole is, topped, front and center, by the SUN. Beautiful. Maybe there's even a little bonus theme material with an UPSY-daisy sprouting off to the side?
Other excellent entries spice up the rest of the grid. "Apple cores, for short" (CPUS) is a very good clue. I enjoyed seeing LOTTE Lenya of old "Mack the Knife" fame, although she was probably known for something else before that song was written. All the long down answers are very good, with PECCADILLOES probably being my favorite, although I do enjoy an ALPINELODGE when I can get one. Also, how weird looking an entry is EMUEGG?
I am anticipating an entirely different kind of GROWTHPOTENTIAL for myself tomorrow as I over indulge in all sorts of deliciousness. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
~Frannie.
7:13
ReplyDeleteEMUEGG! That's the craziest answer we've had in a long long time. And this is one of the craziest 15x15 grids in a long time too. Very cool themework.
Actually, it's 15x16!
DeleteTotally agreed on EMUEGG. But I also haven't thought of IPECAC in a while (apparently, I had thought about it deeply enough to learn how to spell it).
ReplyDeleteThe SEED was nice. I briefly was thinking of DIRT in those four squares and before that I was pondering whether all four would be S or something. But as the down themers fell into place, SEED did too.
11:27
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle, and it's nice to think of the spring at this time of year. Really excellent looking grid. The one TRIFLE that I learned today was that KEENEN is spelled with an "e" instead of an "a." Actually, I guess I learned of THEO/VANGOGH today, also. Nice that he supported his brother.
6:28
ReplyDeleteLoved this one. And I don't think I noticed the SUN up top before reading this review. Very nice all around.
It's nice that VANGOGH is so central, as he evokes yet another plant - sunflowers!