Haven't we seen this recently? The doubling of words to be taken literally? I can't quite remember, but it seems like we have. Maybe I've seen too many puzzles.
ANYhoo, the theme answers are to be read rebus-style, as in:
It's a solid set.
In other news, I have never heard SKEIN used to mean "tangle." I see that it's supported by online dictionaries as part of the second definition, but I still don't like it. I mean, a skein is an organized gathering of YARN, isn't it? It's the opposite of a tangle.
And in other complaints, I know I'm in the minority, but I don't like the loss of double letters in words like YESES (Hoped-for responses to proposals). It's especially common with ELS. Why not egy instead of EGGY?
Oh, I suppose I should just mix myself a PISCOSOUR and INURE myself to it.
It was fine. It's all fine.
- Horace
I decided to work this one online rather than print it (like I usually do with Turn puzzles), and I'm happy I did. It really isn't worthy of a paper solve. I figured out the gimmick fairly fast--at . . . STUDY--and finished the thing in a relaxed 14-something, which is quick for me on a Thursday. I am with you on YESES, but some words, like "buses," need the single S in the middle so you know you're looking for transportation and not a sign of affection. SKEIN, it turns out, is perfect for "tangle." Have you ever seen a SKEIN? Yes, it's organized thread, but it is organized INTO A TANGLE. The ultimate authority, my 1987 unabridged Random House, defines "tangle" as "to bring together into a mass of confused interlaced or intertwisted threads, strands or other like parts." The fourth definition of "skein" reads "something suggestive of the twistings of a skein: 'an incoherent skein of words'." I guess what I am saying is that "skein" and "tangle" can be synonyms whether they are denoting organized or incoherent conglomerations.
ReplyDeleteHave I ever seen a SKEIN? I live with a knitter. They don't look tangled to me. I guess I'll have to adjust my understanding of "tangle," but I'm not going to like it.
DeleteAh, ELS. I remember the EL over Washington Street...it was so EERIE at first when they took it down. I enjoyed the puzzle very much...especially when I got the theme, which came at GOODY SHOES SHOES.
ReplyDelete