I don't usually comment on, or indeed notice, the shape of the puzzle grid, but I couldn't help it today. The grid looks a bit like two big Z's linked by a strip down the middle. The word in the join strip is REFERENDA, which I thought was apt for a word between two sides or options. Probably not what the constructors were going for, but still apt!
Although I got off to a slow start, as I went along I found enough clues in my wheelhouse to contribute to a fairly good Friday time - for me. I got going with FLORALPRINT (Common Hawaiian shirt design) and then dropped in MRT, DOGE, CRAFT, PAINE, and CHATS. I did go with 'daleS' where GLENS belonged, but the above acrosses were still enough to give me a solid start in the center and the rest came along nicely.
The clue "Egyptian Nobelman?" (SADAT) and 25A: Mount Sinai people: Abbr. (DRS) both had some capital elements. I also enjoyed "Decks revealing the cards you've been dealt" (TAROTS) and "A mare might be found in one" (LUNARCRATER). But the crown goes to 4D: "They range from terrible to great" (TSARS). Really top drawer.
There was also some fine fill including SIDEBET, ROLODEX, EVILGRINS, SITPAT, and DIRGES.
Although there were a few words or expressions I'm not familiar with like BEEFED as a verb, OVULAR as an adjective, CHEATCODE, JOSHING, and SWEARJAR (the clue for which made me LOL once I figured it out), I just DELT with it.
All in all, I thought my solve went pretty well. How about EWERS?
~Frannie.
I completed a Friday crossword! It makes up for Wednesday's disaster. It was a slow start today, but then some long answers sped things up. Although I did not care for "The Da Vinci Code", "emojis", and "S.N.L.", the crossword was an overall pleasure to solve. Favorites: EURASIA and LUNARCRATER. I remember them from Grade 4 geography and science. I especially like EURASIA.
ReplyDeleteIAN
15:59
ReplyDeleteWow, great time, Frannie, and congratulations on your Friday solve, Ian! I filled in the "R" of OVULAR last since that word is not in my normal vocabulary and the misdirection of the clue for DRS had me thinking of the Middle East. The rest went along swimmingly. Even though I never listen to them, I enjoyed PODCAST and AMRADIO being adjacent. And even though I was a long distance runner for awhile, I never experienced a RUNNERSHIGH; maybe I was too familiar with another type to notice. I should put out a SWEARJAR for SUSIE's BADMOUTH; that's my ticket outta here.
LOL on the SWEARJAR, Huygens!
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