Today's puzzle was a little on the EASEL side for a Friday, at least for this solver (16:13). I actually stopped myself from entering WINE at 47A (Barossa Valley export) because it seemed too straightforward. OTH, I didn't know what Bibimbap and tamago kake gohan were until the crosses spelled it out for me (RICEBOWLS). Even, "Devils and Angels, e.g." was easy enough because, though I don't know either team per se, I knew they must be TEAMS of one kind or another.
The ease of the solve was surprising for another reason. One category of clue that I often have trouble with is the "quote" clue, and this puzzle featured a few, for instance, "Alas, it is so" and "There's a lot more to this than you think." ITSNOTEASY to know what the "equivalent" expressions are meant to be. That was also the case today, but fortunate crosses took the usual guess work out of it for me.
A few C/APs did require a bit of TOIL. At 54A, 'kingbeds' fit ("Features of many hotel rooms"), but it was MINIBARS that hit the spot. Another nice trixy one was "Heart," which could be so many things, but turned out to be MEAT. Maybe this one could even be considered a two-fer? :) Similarly, in re: clue ambiguity, we have "Jaw" for CHAT. Another slightly tricky one was SCARS for "Results of cuts, maybe?" I was entertained by some of the QMCs, like "Took on a pet project?" (CATSAT) and "Lightened up?" (PALED) - ha.
Everyone likes an ROI. Today's top two for this solver were "Garter and stockinette, in knitting" (STITCHES) plus the interesting fact that the word KENO comes from the French - Qui savait? Pas moi. Top that off with some fun fill like SOBERUP, ASCEND, LIVEWIRE, and NIHILIST and you have a puzzle that would SUIT anyone.
~Frannie.
What is meant by ROI? (It is NOT in the glossary.)
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous! ROI stands for Reference(s) Of Interest. And you are correct, it was NOT in the glossary, but it is now. Thanks for pointing that out. Making corrections is one of my interests! :)
Delete