OK, let's get one thing out of the way right off the bat - I don't like EAUS. It's not a word. If you're naming two French bottled waters and you are looking for a plural of the French word for water, what you should find is "eaux." That's the plural of eau. I suppose we're Americans and we can do what we want with words we find here, but je n'aime pas ça et je vais le combattre jusqu'au bout!
So now that I've got that out of the way, let's grab the chalk and get cracking. We've got POOL-related words scattered all over the place: TOWELRACK, GIMMEABREAK, ONCUE, ONTHEBALL, and OUTOFPOCKET. Really, you'd want them in the pocket, but I know, I know...
I love the term PEPPERED (Bombarded, as with questions), and I often like my food PEPPERED, so that's win-win. And how funny is it that I just read about the spelling of KYIV earlier today? The Ukranians want that to be the official spelling because it is Ukranian, and Kiev is Russian. Why did I read this? Well, it's because some friends got us a subscription to a food service called "Universal Yums" for Christmas. I put the link in for your convenience, but I hesitate to actually recommend it, and not just because of the name. We got three boxes, with food from Italy, the Netherlands, and most recently, Ukraine. It's somewhat interesting, but the food samples seem a little like something you might get on a plane, and the little booklet with interesting facts about each country often has typos in it - and if you know anything about me, you know I'm a pedant about spelling. :) But honestly, expanding horizons is always a good idea, and I can't knock it entirely. If you're interested, try it yourself and let me know how you like it.
Anyway, it's a fine Monday. I like pool, and even the tortured fill like OHIOU made me smile.
Wouldn't it be funny if MANX were the plural of man? :P
- Horace
Just got back from visiting the YUMS page and was struck by this endorsement:
ReplyDelete"Love how excited my son gets when this box comes in! It brings my whole family around the table, which doesn't happen too often." :-)
I didn't get the theme until the reveal...and then wondered, for no really good reason, why the word POOL wasn't at 67 Across.
Yes, I winced a bit at EAUS but am happy to learn about KYIV. And you remind me of my college French teacher who intimidated me so much I switched my language to...Latin! ;-) Fill-wise, I like GAS LOGS, IN PEACE, OK, NOW, and ALL CAPS...and it's always sweet to see SWAK!
Although fake plurals like EAUS are pretty silly, they have become such a crossword staple that I tend to greet them sort of like a pun - the more ridiculous it is to imagine forming a plural like that outside a crossword, the merrier.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the theme answers are symmetrical and listed in the revealer clue, part of me just wanted RED and BITS to fit the theme too. Maybe because they end in words which might plausibly fit a "last word means something" theme (just not this one).
I like KYIV and support the movement to make that the worldwide official spelling, and I don't mind EAUS because the clue wasn't "Evian et Perrier," which would have suggested a non-American answer. Of course, that's completely just my opinion, and I certainly acknowledge Horace's point. I always enjoy POOL, and look forward to my father's return from the south so we can shoot a few games. 5:15
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