This one was a struggle! Just about perfect for a Saturday.
Lots of good stuff. Where to start? How about with the paired clues, like the sort-of-symmetrical "Booty" clues for HAUL and SEAT? Or "Dazzling" (GORGEOUS) and its neighbor "Dazzle" (ENCHANT). Or "Be that as it may ..." cluing the connected HOWEVER and EVENSO. Am I missing any?
The command to GOOUTSIDE would probably get a GOSHNO today here in Massachusetts. It was 11 below zero when I woke up!
Loved MOONSHOT (Ambitious goal or innovation), BENEVOLENT (Given to giving), and TRUELOVE (Unconditional condition?) (lovely clue). And the long conversational answers were all good, too: IGNORETHAT ("Actually, never mind"), CUTTOTHECHASE (Make a long story short), and LETSSEESOMEID (Line at the door of a bar), PICKMEUP (Mood booster), and HITSANERVE (Gets too personal with zingers, say). And then there's STEERCLEAR (Keep away), BEACHREAD (Summer novel, typically), and ARTHOUSE (Fine film forum). It's all so good. Everywhere you look!
Not much to do as a reviewer in situations like this except just say that Ms. Hawkins is a DEFT constructor. She will not be BOOED by me. :)
- Horace
Absolutely delightful from start to finish. And a lovely review as well!
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