So... a bit of an odd duck, in my opinion. It feels like a Wednesday puzzle on a Tuesday. The revealer comes at 26D: Grand Ole Opry performer ... or a hint to 17-/18-Across and 23- and 36-Down (COUNTRYSTAR). The answers referred to are three celebrities whose first names are also names of countries. They are definitely unusual nations as well: AMERICA/FERRERA, JORDANPEELE, and INDIAARIE (too bad we can't see the period she usually has in her name).
On the positive side, it was a surprise when the revealer came. Also, I like that the full names of all three celebrities are used. On the negative side, there are only three of them, and the way it's set up, the grid is highly segmented, which I don't love. Look at that long upside down T at the top!
Back on the positive side, however, you have the remarkable feat of pairing 11-letter non-theme answers with each of the theme answers in the SW and SE, as well as the two 9-letter answers on either side of the middle theme answer. BRONZEMEDAL, FUDGSICLE (yum), and AREYOUALONE, all excellent answers.
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| Remember ISIS? |
I don't know... I feel like even then, there are a lot of compromises taken, such as the sections of multiple 3-letter answers (PGA REM ONE just to start us out). And odd answers like ANNUS, a word that rarely finds its way into regular English usage, or ADELA, and the peculiar TUESDAYS (although I liked the clue).
On the whole, an interesting concept, but a little thin in theme, and I didn't like what had to be done to make it work.
On to Wednesday! Or is it Tuesday?
- Colum
I didn't love this one. Maybe not in the right frame of mind. Gave up after a desultory attempt to find my typo, which turned out to be a mispelling (<-- self-reference!) of FERRERA. Ah well. Tomorrow's another day, whatever day that happens to be.
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