Wednesday, November 22, 2023, Will Pfadenhauer

If there really were a sport called ODDBALL, I might finally become a sports fan. It could be fun to see players RUNWILD, CATCHOFFBALANCE, or THROWOUTOFWHACK. Would play involve an eccentric orb bit? And would it be played on an uncommon? Maybe the idea will take off. Who knew quidditch would became a thing?

Overall, this puzzle was a little sporty and shoot-y spice for my personal tastes. (AMMO, THEBREWERS, Mel OTT, BBGUNS). To be fair, though, there's a COMBO of other varied topics including GWEN Stefani, MALBEC, SALSA, DIODE, and IDES, to name a few, plus some fun, unconventional vocabulary in both clues and answers. I particularly enjoyed besmirch, Xenomorph, hogwash, and everybody's favorite, THRIFT. Am I right?

C/AP-wise, I enjoyed "Progressive rock?" (MOLTENLAVA), "Busyness representative?" (BEE), "Like Christmas lights after December 25, often" (ONSALE), and "Sanctuary against extinction" (ARK).

Not that it super matters, but I thought the clue paring of Santa and the Tooth Fairy as entities most active ATNIGHT was a little incongruous because 'at night' seems to indicate a more general situation, which applies to the Tooth Fairy, who could be active any night of the year, but applies less well to Santa, who is famously active only one night a year. Talk about NIT picking!

~Frannie.