It's been kind of a sloppy solving week for me. Lots of errors. Today, when I read the clue "Riboflavin, alternatively," and saw that I had BT__ already filled in, I finished it as BTen, and never looked back. Is there even a vitamin B-ten? The correct answer, as you probably already know, is BTWO.
But enough about that. This puzzle features ten (!) eleven-letter answers, all of them interesting. I especially like pairing the two Down answers as commentary: PLASTICCUPS = BRUTALITIES against the environment. (And I would have preferred "Recyclable party supply" as a clue!) WETHEPEOPLE should TAKEREVENGE by not buying or using any more plastic than is absolutely necessary. UNFRIEND me if you must, but I still say HELLNO. I'll have no GRANDKID ( that I know of ;) ) to suffer through whatever future awaits, but as an UNCLE, I still have all the FEELS, as I think the young people might say. ("Sorry," to any young people who might be reading this.)
It was a fun challenge, this puzzle. Things came slowly, and I often had to work methodically through crosses. Luckily, some big things went in rather easily, like RITZCRACKER (Saltine alternative) and THEFORCE (Something a Jedi uses), which seemed almost too easy, didn't it?
But other things, including the two trivia questions "Article of furniture first used for medical purposes" (WATERBED) and "Program that started as SoundJam" (ITUNES) took quite a few crosses.
On the whole, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Only IOR stood out, and at least they gave that a humorous clue (Poster finish?). Heh.
Here's hoping I can finish the week tomorrow with a clean solve!
- Horace
p.s. One of my New Year's Resolutions (which I don't make) was to try to be ego-less. As I re-read this review, I see I have some work to do!
9:06
ReplyDeleteSome great double stacks throughout the puzzle. I particularly liked RITZCRACKER over ACHORUSLINE (and that's a great clue, as well!).
24:46
ReplyDeleteRight about where a Friday belongs for a solve time. Mmmm...TUNATARTARE. I didn't know of BINDI, other than the Crocodile Hunter's daughter, but that's nice to learn. Also, ISMENE and MUNRO needed most crosses. Everyone loves to TAKEREVENGE, but CROPCIRCLES are ridiculous. And I find that young people are the worst offenders when it comes to plastic water bottles, straws, styrofoam cups, takeout containers, etc. I even know of people that throw glass away (beer bottles, e.g.). Shocking. I also say HELLNO to such things, and was happy to hear that the MA senate recently passed a bill to prohibit the automatic handing out of plastic straws at restaurants. Hopefully the bill makes its way to the governor's desk relatively quickly. And yes, THEFORCE was too easy. Excellent to discover that ZORRO rode Tornado.