I completed this puzzle with high notes of GLEE. I found it quite entertaining overall - even when I took a wrong turn. It turns out 'taxidriver' has the same number of letters as DATABREACH ("Hack job") - ha! :) "Rain or Shine" also had me stumped for a time, but when I saw the answer was VERB I realized I had been duped again! On the other hand. I wasn't even remotely stumped by the amusing clue "Travel authority?" (NBAREFEREE).
There was also a CROP of somewhat old-timey vocabulary to enjoy. I loved "News alert of old" (EXTRAEXTRA), as well as RUBE, BARGED, QUIBBLE, and HEEL.
Clues that were tricky for this solver included "Choose from the restaurant menu" (HAVE), "Literally, 'disciple'" (SIKH) - I had SItH for a time 😕 - and "A-a-a-and ___!" - I could not parse that one for the life of me. I struggled most in the northeast (as our perceptive readers may already have guessed). Before today, I was aware of only one geographical "boot" - the wrong one, it turns out - but now I know there's a pair!
Interesting also to see a GONAD in the puzzle, along with the two 'undergarment' answers: HANES and DEBRIEF. I also liked WINTERTIME for "What comes after the fall" - ha! - and, of course, SCREWIT.
In short, a bit of a struggle, but a fun one with real a-PEEL for this solver.
~Frannie.
Wow, your "taxidriver" misstep for DATABREACH is pretty funny. Much moreso than my guess of "tend" for SKEW (Lean) that lead to "died" instead of WENT (Passed). Also tried QUarrel for QUIBBLE, and NBAREFEREE took me quite a long time!
ReplyDeleteYes, very body-heavy, with AREOLAE, OUTIE, HEEL, and TEARS, in addition to the others you mentioned.
Nice to see Jacqueline DUPRE show up. I liked this one a lot, too. The long fill was quite good, and there really is barely a NIT to, er, comment on. (Nobody likes that expression.)
Loved this one! Took me forever to finish, but worth it. Beautiful fill and wickedly fair clues. I was hung up on the "disciple" clue, too, stubbornly insisting also on SItH (because it really does also mean "disciple"...I think.)
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