Always nice to start with a SUPERB (Outstanding) 1-Across. And off of it we have the very tasty SOBA (Japanese buckwheat noodle) and PITABREAD (What baba ghanouj is often served with). And I've been in Vermont this past weekend, so BERNIE (Senator Sanders) seemed appropriate. :)
The theme is interestingly spaced. The revealer is a grid-spanner right in the middle (WHATSBUGGINGYOU) - two self-contained entries are layered above and below (BEEINMYBONNET) and (ANTSINMYPANTS), and BUTTERFLIES INMYSTOMACH form the hamburger bun surround. But who wants to bite into it with all those bugs?!
Sorry. Sometimes these metaphors get a little out of control.
Anywho - "Extinct megafauna species whose name derives from the Greek for 'breast tooth'" (odd) (MASTODON) was interesting, "How one sends an embarrassing email to the entire office?" (BYMISTAKE) was amusing, and "Like thick-crust, rectangular pizza" (SICILIAN) was new to me. I guess we don't have much of that here in the New England-al area.
I loved the clue for PARADED (Marched in an attention-seeking way), and "____ have promises to keep, and miles to go ...": Robert Frost" was a good way to salvage BUTI.
Overall, a fine Monday.
- Horace
Nice theme...and a lot of it!
ReplyDeleteIONO was unexpected for me (42A Prefix with sphere). It's not what I'd normally think of with sphere. I enjoyed the bug theme, but it was slightly more difficult than a normal Monday for me, so I was over six minutes for a time, but that's fine when it's an enjoyable solve like today's. I think that our lead guitarist makes SICILIAN pizza.
ReplyDeleteSo he does. I guess I just figured he didn't want to bother making it into a circle. Maybe that's what the Sicilians were thinking, too...
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