Continuing my educational experiences from yesterday, I have been taught two things I didn't know, both hailing from decades past. I knew the tune from The Benny Hill Show (and how dated is that little bit of PATRIARCHY?) but didn't know its name. YAKETYSAX makes perfect sense, and you can see how it might be used over and over for bits of slapstick.
Similarly, I know the theme song from Car Wash, but wouldn't have been able to pick out the name ROSEROYCE from anything other than just about all the crosses. It's a great name for a group: they were named for their lead singer (who was given the name Rose Norwalt), and as a reference to cars because of the movie.
Really, this is a very smooth puzzle, but I was somehow not blown away by it. Damning with faint praise, I know. There are some fine answers, such as KICKBOXING, ORALEXAM, and IDEOLOGUES. There are also some not so great entries, such as AUG (with one of the most boring clues I've seen in a while) and AREGO.
Here are some things I did like:
- 6D: Small handful (IMP) - that's a great clue.
- 8D: Losing effort (DIET) - excellent non-QMC.
- 66A: Vibe (ATMOSPHERE). Nice one-to-one clue-answer pairing.
I didn't like YACHTIE. I thought 9D: Speaking engagement? didn't hit home for its answer. OPA twice in a week.
Maybe I'm being too nitpicky. Or my bar has been raised higher for a Friday. What do you all think?
- Colum
13:16 (FWOE)
ReplyDeleteI liked it all right. I actually kind of loved the hammering of the crosswordese Ena ("Ena in 'Bambi,' e.g." for AUNT and DOE).
But I didn't like YACHTIE either. I FWOEd at its cross with MINI, where I put in an E, thinking, I guess, that YACHTeE was plausible. MINe, of course, is less good...
24:24
ReplyDeleteYACHTIE is bad, and I agree with Colum that ORALEXAM doesn't quite work with the clue. OTOH, a PEAT-flavored drink is always welcome, especially when one has an EDGE to smooth, and everyone loves TAXHAVENS. I thought 52D Like some kites (AVIAN) was excellent.