Because I struck out on the first three Across clues, I initially thought the puzzle would be tough. Looking at the clue for 1A: "It can cover all the bases," I didn't really GETIT. It turned out to be TARP - clever! Same with the amusing if a bit "stretchy" "Rocks out?" (CRAGS) at 5A. And the clue at 10A, "Picks," presented too many possibilities for me to enter anything without some downward corroboration. Things picked up, however, when I switched to the Downs and was able to immediately enter TAHINI, ALANON, PEERS, CHOWMEIN, AGAR, and PARTICLE, all of which helped make short work of the very nice grid-spanning entry HATETOEATANDRUN ("Apologetic comment from a dinner guest") and most of the subsequent entries in the top half of the grid. I did have a slowdown at 22A with "Foul-smelling." I knew the answer was NOISOME but I couldn't quite remember how to spell it. BTW, I looked up NOISOME in the fabulous XWord Info and found that it hasn't appeared in a puzzle since July 9, 2015. Welcome back!
Other fill with ECLAT included RIPOSTES, CAROUSE, and the aptly descriptive COMBOVER. I also liked BOLT and SHRED.
C/AP-wise, I enjoyed "Promising reply" (IDO), "Choice in a slumber party game" (DARE), "Screen" (MASK), and the interesting "Letters that shouldn't be used written big for air rescue (a single V or X is best)" (SOS). I am not sure what to make of the C/AP "Bee lines?"/SEAMS. Anyone?
~Frannie.
I'm with you! A blazing 5:01. I assume the "bee" in "Bee lines" refers to a sewing bee. Are there even such things any more? NOISOME is a great word, though it took me a bit to get there as I had RECALL in there instead of RETAIN. I have not read Sapiens but my son has and by his account, it's a little bit of a depressing take on humanity....
ReplyDeleteWell, you posted while I was typing. I thought maybe quilting bees, but sewing is legit, too.
DeleteQuilting bees? Anyway, you bested me on today's time, Frannie, as I came in at a still respectable 10:24, ending with the cross of "Unimaginative" and "Go along for the ride, say," where I'd started with a down thought of HOPoN, but since ToRED neither made sense nor was a word, I switched to HOPIN and TIRED, which got me to the finish. Nice, clean puzzle, though, as we like for a Friday. Hmm, don't know Tom HAGEN, played, of course, by the great Robert Duvall? Shocking. Maybe it's time you re-watched "The Godfather" trilogy, minus number 3, which goes without saying. Now that's NOTABADIDEA!
ReplyDeleteSuper fun puzzle with great cluing. I didn't know the author, but the crossings were very kind to me. 11:19.
ReplyDeleteTimes are very impressive across the board! Phil, you got me by 12 seconds. I very much enjoyed this puzzle, even if it played on the easy side for a Friday.
ReplyDeleteWow! Speedy times all around! My five minute goal is for Mondays and here go Philbo and Colum challenging the five minute mark on a Friday. Amazing! Also, in re: "Bee lines?" I hope the intended target was sewing bee because it's sew unusual to refer to quilting stiches as SEAMS.
ReplyDeleteOh, being neither a sewer or quilter, I didn't know that bit of trivia about SEAMS not referring to quilting. Thanks; I'll keep that in mind.
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