It's not that I'm a LATERISER, but I was beset by a few difficulties in getting the review started this morning. For one thing, it's a red letter day: Horace's father turns 90! We're spending the day in a celebratory way, which involves cooking, cleaning, wardrobe changes, and other time-consuming activities and very little ALONETIME.
I started the puzzle with a bit of trepidation as several vocalizations from Horace gave me the notion that this would be a tough one, but I finished it surprisingly quickly (for this solver) in 23:47. Many answers were in my wheelhouse ("It gets hatched in a fantasy novel" (DRAGONEGG), for one :), and the ones that weren't fell to some determined figurin'. :)
My first break came fairly quickly, in the northeast. I was able to drop in TBAR, OATY, and BIOMES, which made the Down answers over there easier. Then I worked my way left and down with GLEE.
Entries that gave me some difficulty were "Source of oils unsed in wellness" (TEATREE) - don't know it - "Kind of motel" (NOTELL) - if I did know it, I wouldn't say - and "Playground 'immunization'" aware of cooties, of course, but because my first train of thought maybe thanks to the earlier entry OBAMACARE and the current pandemic, ran to more science-based innoculations rather than the less reliable COOTIESHOT.
My toughest corner was the northwest. I've never been to or encounted an In-N-Out burger emporium - and even if I had, would I know about the SECRETMENU? I don't know. Unfortunately, neither have I flown to Honolulu, which would probably have helped with the name of the airport (INOUYE). Also, OCTAD didn't leap to mind for bits in a byte. Once I puzzled my way through the section, though, I particularly liked the pair of clues at 5 and 6D: "'Me, too'" (YEAHSAME) and "'You, too?!'" (ETTU) - ha.
Other GEMS in the grid today:
"It may be screwed up" (BULB) - apt!
"+ or - something" (ION)
"It's a matter of degree" (ANGLE)
"Course you need a compass to navigate?" (GEOMETRY)
"Medium strength" (ESP) - ha!
A trio of personal favorites including NECCO, MORSE, and, of course, The MUPPETSHOW.
Well, I got to get my ROLLERS on, peeps. I leave you in the capable hands of my esteemed co-blogger Colum, who will, I'm sure, offer discussion of more constructive ASPENS of puzzledom in the coming week.
~Frannie.
Pretty good puzzle today, although not as fun as yesterday's. DRAGMOTHER was great, and not what I was expecting. I spent a fair amount of time wondering what the letter at the crossing of 7A and 7D was. 7A: Mag, e.g. (PUB) was no help, especially without some evidence that it was an abbreviation we were looking for. And 7D: ___ year (PER) was wide open. Finally I decided that P was the only reasonably choice, and lucky me, I was right.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Horace's Dad! And thanks for the week, Frannie!
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