While today's theme had no revealer, it was easy enough to read between the lines and see the references to ever-larger chunks of writing in the second half of five answers from SAFEPASSAGE to HORSDOEUVRE.
Unlike yesterday, I felt the constructor and I were not in CONCERTS today, resulting in a high time for a Wednesday *and* a FWOE. My error came at the 1A/5D cross. HAP for luck is a thing? That was too quaint for this solver. Of course, I should gotten the 'H' from "Family name on 'Arrested Development,'" but I didn't think about it too carefully and, thanks to my sister-in-law's frequent and humorous repetition, in a heavy local accent, of "Peter Blute," a Member of the Massachusetts U.S. House of Representatives from the nineties, I ended up with THEBOMB. :(
There were a couple of other areas where I wasn't on the same page as the constructor. For "Bygone TV feature" I tried 'dial' before getting KNOB from the downs. WOW as a word before and after "just" seems weird to me. I also feel that there is something not quite right about referring to Yoko ONO as "Lennon's lady." And last, but not least, TOEJAM? I don't consider myself unusually delicate, but I did not like that entry at all. Upon reading the clue, I hoped I was wrong, but when JEAN went in for "Denim," I was forced to ENTER it.
But, to balance the books, there were a number of things I did enjoy in the puzzle including "Class act?" (TEST), "Mad state" (IRE), "Ones feeling the crunch?" (ABS), and especially "Country music?" (ANTHEM) and "Makes, as bread" (EARNS). I also liked BASKS, MOSSY, and WINATLIFE.
~Frannie.
4:27
ReplyDeleteI did not get the theme until I read your review, Frannie, so thanks! While I agree with your assessment re: TOEJAM, at least it makes me think of "Come Together," written by ONO's man.
15:30 (FWOE)
ReplyDeleteLike Frannie, this took me a long time for a Wednesday, and I had an error, although my own occurred at the SORORITYCHAPTER/EPIC cross, where I tried an "r," not really thinking about the down too hard. Oh well. And like Colum, I didn't know about the theme until reading the blog, but I like it. I especially enjoyed the FIBONACCISERIES entry, of course. KNOB could have been clued more amusingly, perhaps as a British put-down. Entries that I also liked were STACCATO and VERDURE (and the pictured AIRDRY, which I do on every laundry day that isn't windy or raining/snowing).
11:42 (FWOE)
ReplyDeleteI fwoed at the end of OPENENDER, and while I should have remembered AVERY labels, I will say that I've never heard anyone ever say that a question was an "OPENENDER," and I have, many times, heard people talk about open-ended questions. ERG.
I think EGS might be a new low in terms of "huh?" I mean if I look through the list of clues, I do find two occurrences of "e.g." so I guess I shouldn't complain, but..... Hmm..... Maybe like Frannie I just wasn't in CONCERTS with the constructor.
ReplyDeleteOn the plus side I did get HAP, not really because I know it as a word, but because I figured it must be related to "happenstance". Good thing too, I have no idea who that TV show character crossing it is. Favorite clue? Probably FIBONACCISERIES or STACCATO. Apparently I have a thing for doubled Cs today.
Ah HAP is apparently also related to "mishap" and "happen"
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