You know what you get on Wednesdays? Odd ducks (and one day before Turkey day at that). Today is certainly no exception.
First off, the grid is 14 x 16, which is unusual. I tried to count the number of such puzzles on xwordinfo.com, but my eyes started to cross scanning through their list of non-square grids. I kind of feel like the pattern of black squares looks like a Transformers face. Back me up here.
Second, it's an odd theme, but beautifully done. It starts with the intertwining red and yellow circles of the MASTERCARDLOGO, then adds a circle of another color with each progressive answer as we move down the grid. Thus, the next has the red, yellow, and green circles of a TRAFFICLIGHT, the third adds the blue circle in a TWISTERMAT (from the game), and the last adds the black circle (ring) of the OLYMPICRINGS.
The five olympic rings were meant to represent the inhabited continents at the time the flag was created (1913), with South and North America lumped together. Interestingly, it is not clear if the originator, Pierre de Coubertin, meant each ring to represent a specific continent or not. He only commented that the colors, along with the white of the flag, would encompass the colors of all the countries' flags. Later, somebody suggested the most stereotypical connections between colors and continents, but this has been rejected.
But enough of my history lesson.
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| DRWHO |
I would rather that 41D: "Patton" or "Platoon" (WARDRAMA) be answered as "war movie." After all, is there a war movie that is not a drama? I Googled "war comedy" to see what I came up with. Tropic Thunder? Possibly. Inglorious Basterds? Funny, but more of a fantasy revenge movie than a war movie. I suppose that M*A*S*H sorta kinda fits. Other thoughts?
DEATHGRIP is a good answer, as are VASSAR and PASSPORT. And I chuckled at 32A: Say what you want? (ORDER). WHYYES. Yes, indeed.
- Colum
There must be a reason that David Tennant is shown twice on the Doctor Who (or should I say DRWHO) graphic above. I don't quite know how to watch the new ones; I'm two seasons in with Jodie Whittaker, but can't seem to see any more. Admittedly, I haven't tried too hard; maybe I will today. (I just looked up the answer to my David Tennant question.) Anyway, yes, odd puzzle, and it took me a short while to figure out what the constructors were doing, but I still finished in a respectable thirteen-ish. I suppose I should look at the M*A*S*H movie; not sure I ever saw it. I am familiar, of course, with the TV series. "Tropic Thunder" was genius. Overall enjoyable puzzle.
ReplyDeleteThere IS a war movie that is not a drama, and it's Patton! That's a biopic.
ReplyDeleteI like to think "biopic" should be pronounced like "myopic." But good point, Anon.
ReplyDeleteAnd was Tennant the Grover Cleveland of the DRWHO series?