5:16
Another entry in the list of themes it is more difficult to explain in words than just to experience during the solve, is as follows:
Ahem.
Two phrases, each of two words, are juxtaposed, in that the second word of the first is a homonym for the first word of the second, and similarly, that the first word of the second is a homonym for the second word of the first.
Many words in the service of blogging.
Thusly, 16A: Prince, e.g. (MALEHEIR) next to 25A: Stamp on an envelope [and 16-Across flipped] (AIRMAIL). I like that each flipped answer is the next to the right and down, making a logical progression, rather than having to search through the grid.
I was uncertain about PLAINTOE, but it Googles well. THYMETEA, as well, comes up readily on my arbiter of widely accepted use.
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| Alicia KEYS |
More impressive is the collection of long down answers: there are eight of length 8 or longer. I am particularly fond of 32D: Signed, sealed or delivered (PASTTENSE). I was not thinking along those lines at all!
39D: Wasn't upright, say (SLOUCHED) is a great clue.
I very much enjoyed this puzzle. It's odd, but it's pleasing. And it has RYE.
- Colum
Finished with one error, and it was a silly one. I figured well, who would be named HEIGL? What do I know about baseball coaches? And so on. And it turns out that I just had made an unnoticed typo in LIME. I wish my typo had been LIMa because I really want to promote "lima green" (as, of course, the color of a lima bean). No, I think it was something next to E on the keyboard. R probably. And well one of my little secrets is that I enjoy filling in crosswords more than the "search for the error" hunt (although in this case I was so oooo close. To spotting the error that is).
ReplyDeleteMaybe my mind was just still not really over HEIGL. Yeah, with that in the grid, how can anything else look wrong?
12:03
ReplyDeleteDecent theme, and it made me think I should add THYMETEA to my rotation (but not TEETIME, as that seems like a waste of time). Hopefully we're not beset by the polar VORTEX this winter. GLITZ is a nice word. And I'm with Colum: happy that RYE was the proper kind (not the bread).