Today three capitals, states, and countries are squeezed out of two sitting side-by-side. CAIROMEXICOCITY, for example, looks like "Cairo" then "Mexico City," but if you look closely, you find "Rome" tucked in there. Likewise OHIOWASHINGTON yields Iowa, and PANAMALITHUANIA hides Mali. Nice little trick for a Wednesday.
I chuckled at RENTACOP (Hired security guard), and the cleverest clue was "Line to the house" (ASIDE). That's a line to the audience, not Congress. Tricky!
I sometimes find that multi-word answers are a little harder to come up with - and there were plenty of those today - ASSTATED (Per the preceding discussion), OKAYTHEN ("Well, alrighty!"), MINTOREO (Cookie with a green creme center), NODUH ("Obvs!"), ATEIT (Wiped out), MAKEDO (Manage), and EATUP (Believe unquestioningly), to name just seven. For "French term of endearment" I started with the feminine version, but corrected to MONCHERI soon enough. And the three-word answer HAVEATIT ("Dig right in!") went in immediately. I love that one.
Overall I'd say it was fine. Nothing too terribly terrific, but nothing too terrible either.
- Horace
This was a good one. After whipping thru Monday + Tuesday (2:43 Tuesday, a rare sub-3-min for a non-Monday puzzle), this one was 6:33, so here's your opportunity, Colum, to swoop in with YOUR time :)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Horace, MONCHERI started as MACHERIE and then MONCHERE (sheesh). Loved ASIDE, too. A nice chewy Wednesday puzzle!
Hahaha, Philbo! I finished in 4:39. I liked this puzzle fine, especially MINTOREO. Haven't had one of those in a long time.
ReplyDeleteOh, and yesterday was 3:48, so I'll take second once again.
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