Be the change you want to be in the world, they say. So the change I want to be is well rested. Turns out getting only a few hours of sleep three nights in a row makes for a somewhat grumpy reviewer.
So let's focus on the good things, shall we? Today's FLOWER / GARDEN contains four varietals, a [VIO]LET, a [DAH]LIA, an [AZA]LEA, and an [ORC]HID. Nice that the last three letters of each flower get their own clue and stand alone as standard (somewhat crossword-y) answers. Of the four, I do like me an azalea. They sure are pretty.
The theme makes for a sixteen triple checked letters (those are letters that have to serve as part of three different words, rather than the standard two in a regular crossword puzzle), and that can put some strain on a grid. It's well done to have them circle a central black square, thus separating them from each other. So on the whole, great to have answers like BARITONES, BALDEAGLE, and CRITICISM.
Well, I suppose things like ACIDY might have to show up once in a while in a grid. But really. That one answer kind of nearly does the whole puzzle in for me. And if you don't get a nasty chill down your spine when you see DMVS, you probably grew up in a time when everything can be done on the internet instead of in person.
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| MARGOT |
43A: One who's well-versed in the arts? (POET) is cute, and just about the only tricky clue. I also smiled nostalgically on seeing "AINTI a stinker?" Oh, that Bugs Bunny. He was really kind of jerk, if you come to think about it.
Here's to a good night's rest, and a fresh start tomorrow.
- Colum
6:34
ReplyDeleteAren't there 24 triple-checked squares? Maybe I'm missing something, which wouldn't be the first time. I thought there was enough good, especially with the flowers theme, to undo the aforementioned ACIDY, which, I fully agree, is terrible. I tried rMVS before looking at the cross, which is what we call them in MA, but changed it quickly enough using the triple checking! Nice shout-out to FRAN up in the north, although Frannie doesn't often shorten her name in that manner. Nothing really GRATES on me too much. I liked seeing both the AINTI mentioned by Colum with its related TAZ. "The Bugs Bunny / Road Runner Show" was the BEST AVER.
You're right that there are 24 triple-checked letters. In my sleepy state I didn't think that the last two letters of each flower counted, because they were embedded in the stand alone sections.
ReplyDelete6:03
ReplyDeleteI, too, had rMVS in at first, and I fully support any praise heaped on "The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show." That was the best thing ONTV when I was little.
The little flower garden is fun, and I, who has been sleeping fairly well of late, don't mind ACIDY so much. :)