Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Wednesday, November 24, 2021, Brandon Koppy

Well, dear Readers, quite a different solving experience for me today. It took me a full 26:51 to complete the grid - and this a Wednesday! I didn't have any trouble with the theme - or in fact much of the puzzle, but some of the OBTUSE answers - the "seldom correct" kind! - in the northcentral section brought me to this NEWLOW (probably not actually a personal slow on a Wednesday, but work with me here.) I had a number of pretty solid answers in that section, too: ONO, SOCOOL (which I had, but didn't want), and EWE, for example. But "Omaha stake?", "Little pest", Opposite of radial", and "1990s Indian prime minister" made my progress STAHL. Horace tells me "Omaha" is a type of poker, thus BET. I can see how a TWERP could be considered a little pest, but sadly I spent too much time in the 'insect' area of my vocabulary Venn diagrams rather than the 'annoyance' zone. Derp. And well, my knowledge of Indian Prime Ministers of the 1990s did not extend to Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha RAO. :(

57A: EBOAT

Anyhoo, elsewhere in the puzzle, I was feeling my OATES. I thought the theme was fun. Although I personally don't take a PICODEGALLO because of its OMNIPOTENCE in making me feel ill, it's an entertaining idea for the circled letters to represent the "chopped" ONION, PEPPER, and TOMATO within the three theme answers in the top HALF of the puzzle, and then have a 'squeezing' of[LIME] in FISHFORCOMP[LIME]NTS for the finishing touch. I enjoyed the added CRAZINESS of most of the circles representing single letters but the circle for LIME calling for a rebus.

I thought the clue "Including an unlisted number?" (ETAL) was particularly clever. I was entertained by answers for "Comic cry of dismay" ACK and DOHZEALS and RUMS stuck me as slightly odd plurals, but who's counting? Oh, and BTW, does anybody know what SAL soda is? 

~Frannie.


4 comments:

  1. Before today, I didn't know what PICO DE GALLO was, never mind SAL soda! But gee...the puzzle sure is accurate. I looked up the topping recipe, and, sure enough, ONION is chopped, as are PEPPER and TOMATO, while the LIME is squeezed!

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  2. Wow! After a couple of consecutive grids filled out in turbo mode, this one was much tougher sledding. Had a couple of nits, most particularly - no way ULNAR is the "opposite" of RADIAL. And how is "Omaha stake" = BET? And what is SAL Soda? Otherwise, all right I guess. Hard throughout. Hard is good though. 8:18 in the end..

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    1. Hi Philbo,

      I didn't get the BET clue, either, but I looked it up. Omaha Hold 'Em -- or simply "Omaha" -- is a poker game "similar to Texas Hold 'Em."

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  3. Yes, as Frannie mentioned, it's a poker variant. And as Kelly says, it's like Hold'em, but instead of getting two hole cards, you get four - but here's the kicker - you have to and can only use two. It is played occasionally at my poker night, and someone always tries to use three cards from their hand. It's very disappointing.

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