UH? OH ...
First off, thanks to Frannie and Colum for two fine weeks of reviews. I don't know how long this crazy blog experiment will continue, but I really appreciate the fact that we're splitting the work. Without the regular breaks, I think we might all turn into the kind of cranky blogger that inspired the creation of this blog in the first place.
OK, enough on that. Today we have one of those themes that changes regular expressions by adding ə sound. It sounds weird when you write it down, but examples always help:
"Fantasy sports" is changed to FANTASYSUPPORTS, and is clued as "Beams of one's dreams?" Absurd. Wacky. Just what you've come here for. The others are:
GOFORBAROQUE (Visit a museum to see a Rembrandt exhibit?)
FALCONCARESSED (Bird of prey that's gently petted?) (wow)
THEROUXINTHETOWEL (Actor Justin sitting poolside?) (who?)
DERIDEAPRICOTS (Make fun of small orange fruits?) (mmm... dried apricots...)
GRAVYTERRAIN (Mashed potatoes, on a Thanksgiving plate?) (an amusing stretch)
THUNDERCOLLAPSE (Fourth-quarter meltdown at an N.B.A. game in Oklahoma City?)
This kind of "pronunciation" theme is tricky, because not everyone pronounces things in the same way. Me, for instance, I like to put a long E into the first syllable of "deride," and I think the E in "terrain" is different from the U in "supports," but, well, if I can't make allowances for these minor differences, I'm never going to enjoy anything, am I? (If you're interested in pursuing this topic further, just talk to anyone who knows me.) :)
Theme aside, this one played a little tough for me. It seems, now, like I've heard of the RAMAPO (River across the New York/New Jersey border), but I needed every cross for it today, and PETE Alonso didn't help me one bit. Except for the fact that few other letters would work to make a name once I had _ETE. PERSONNEL (Staff) is a word I missed in "Spelling Bee" a while back, and SLEPTLATE (Didn't hear the alarm, say) is something I haven't done in years. I can't even remember the last time I set an alarm, and I'm not just talking about the pandemic either. It's been years and years.
I enjoyed "Angry reaction" for RISE, "Nonstop flight?" was a strong QMC for ESCALATOR, likewise "Speaking part?" for LARYNX. And remind me to never order soup in PALAU (Where fruit bat soup is eaten as a delicacy).
- Horace
I liked this one, just as I mostly like all Sundays. RAMAPO was new to me too. I liked GOFORBAROQUE - reminded me of an album my parents had when I was a kid, by the Swingle Singers (didn't "get" the entendre till I was older), called "Going for Baroque". Decent 14:29 for me today
ReplyDeleteI'm stumped, trying to figure out why THOREAU IN THE TOWEL wasn't chosen over the actor. That could well be that I don't recognize the actor's name. GRAVY TERRAIN cracked me up, though. The cluing -- I'm talking about the fill here -- did seem on the tougher side.
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