Friday, February 25, 2022, Damon Gulczynski

What a chunky Scrabbly Friday themeless we have today! So many lovely long answers, I can overlook strange choices like PILAU (that's pilaf for us over here in the Americas, apparently, an alternate spelling that caused me a lot of grief in the SW corner).

I had essentially nothing in the NW corner, and found my true beginning point in the middle North section, with CILIA, LAGS, and ACING. I knew SCATMAN Crothers, but couldn't remember his full name. Most of us will probably recall him from The Shining, but he was also in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and actually got his start as a musician and composer (thus the nickname). 

And then the long answers started coming into view, starting with MICHELANGELO, and then BUTTHATSJUSTME. So good! I backtracked into the NW corner, where QUEBECOIS was probably a gimme for our friend Philbo, from North of the Border. Perhaps JENESAISQUOS was also straightforward for him! I love it as an answer in the puzzle.

The area in question

And then that answer crosses WILLYOUBEQUIET. Such a good use of the Q. WIKIPEDIA and ALONETIME round out our excellent set of long answers.

The SW corner gave me fits. First off, I couldn't see 43A: Took off on (APED). I so wanted flED. Then I wanted SwIveL at 47A: Go around and around (SPIRAL). Fortunately, that correct I in the incorrect answer led me to ILLBE, then ALLIE, and TABLE. My final letter was changing the F to U in HUEYS.

How fun are the crossings of 53D: Punt, e.g. (BOAT) and 60A: Dugout, e.g. (CANOE). Nicely vague clues for types of water vessels. 

It's funny how one area of a puzzle can be a cinch when others are giving you so much trouble. The NE corner was simplicity itself for this solver, boosted by DANTE, medical knowledge EDEMA, Jewish knowledge SEDER, and Civil War buff trivia (MEADE). But then, there will always be stuff one is GOODAT, and other stuff which might KILL you.

- Colum