OLIO
Is it Sunday already? I've been having so much fun reading the reviews by Frannie and Colum that I lost track of the days. But wow, what a way to start my week - not only one of my favorite constructors, but one of my favorite rarities, a themeless Sunday! I'm beaming FROMEARTOEAR.
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| If I had to choose, which I don't, I'd say he was my favorite Python. |
Just as we've come to expect from Ms. Weintraub, it's a lovely, open grid with fun entries and clever clues. Right off the bat at 1-Across we get misdirection. With many graduations around this time of year, "Earners of credits" made this solver think of students, not ACTORS. And after that we find "Take sides?" (EAT) and "Go out to get some juice?" (POWERNAP). Nice.
SCAMPERS (Emulates a chipmunk, say), on the other hand, was on point. We've got chipmunks all over the place here, and that answer is apt! I'm not familiar with the "Alabama slammer," but I like the name, and I'm not against AMARETTO.
"Fuse" took me forever to understand as UNITE. It didn't help that I am so unfamiliar with the details of the Harry Potter world that even with D_RSLEY filled in, I didn't know how to finish it in to make his adoptive family name.
On the other hand, MELLOW ("Have You Never Been ____," #1 album for Olivia Newton-John) went in without crosses. Not more than a week ago, I heard that on the car radio while listening to WJIB. My brother-in-law likes to joke that the call letters stand for "Worst Junk In Boston," and while it's true that they (or "he," really, because there's only one DJ) play a lot of unusual recordings, the list includes many old gems. If you're within range, give it a listen sometime. I guarantee you'll hear at least one old chestnut, and something you've never heard before.
Moving on - while I like the phrase RETAILTHERAPY (Shopping in order to improve one's mood), I don't support the activity. Rampant consumerism, waste, etc. etc.
There's so much I could talk about today, but I don't want to make this too long. Why don't you TELLUS what you liked best?
- Horace
I was going to ask: was there not a theme today? I guess it's not just me being obtuse.. This was a very dense one, hard to imagine there being fewer black squares. Fun all in all but I didn't find it exactly my cup of tea. Sunday curmudgeonliness!! 15:07 with just a kind of steady progress through the grid.
ReplyDeleteHorace, how could you not know DURSLEY?? Don't you hate it when people ask questions that start with "how could you not..."? :) And agreed on PALIN vis-a-vis favourite Python.
Horace, you listen to WJIB too? Old Bob is doing his fundraiser this week. Easy, breezy puzzle for me. I'm all for RETAIL THERAPY and, while I've never heard of it before, I'm wondering if it would fly as an excuse with my husband! Soon as I saw the grid and constructor I decided to time myself. 14 minutes.
ReplyDeleteWow Kelly! Crushed it!!!!
DeleteAll the cool kids do, Kelly! We've even sent Bob some money in past years. I guess it's time to do so again!
DeleteAnd yeah, nice time! I came in at 20:04.
Nice timeS, I should have said. :)
DeleteWell I solved on paper, outside, today, and have absolutely no idea of my time. It was no doubt longer than any mentioned so far, but not by much as this filled in pretty smoothly. I also needed every cross for DURSLEY; maybe I'll read those books some day, but I don't know when I'd fit them in. And Horace, if you're against RETAILTHERAPY you should have a long talk with your sister. That UPS truck is here every other day. Maybe she could use some REHAB. And since I met him, I'd have to side with Cleese over PALIN, but really not by much as they were all brilliant, IMHO.
ReplyDeleteJust to be clear, Phil, this is a jumbo themeless, which is Ms. Weintraub's specialty (themeless puzzles, that is). I found it incredibly smooth, as always. And yes, Palin is the best of them.
ReplyDeleteIt occurred to me that "themeless" rhymes with "seamless", which seems apropos here :)
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