Today's theme answers are two-word noun phrases, the first word of which starts with Q and the second with R. My favorite is
QUACKREMEDY because, well, the word "quack" is funny. The others,
QUALIFYINGROUND,
QUEENREGENT, and
QUARTERLYREPORT all qualify respectably, though. Unfortunately, a too well-remembered recent NYTX answer of PINTS for "Ice cream units" (Thursday, 12/14, 4D) however, caused me some trouble in the southeast, resulting in an initial entry of pTS at 47A for "Ice cream amts." I didn't check the Down until later, when I finally realized that 'pRCODE' for the revealer didn't scan correctly.
The grid layout led to a quire of short fill, but it didn't feel as choppy as it could have, perhaps due to the general C/APtness throughout. Still, I EST 23 three-letter answers today, which is a real quantity.
Other quick reactions: I enjoyed "Unexpected plot development" (TWIST), "What to do if the shoe fits" (WEARIT), and "Ill-advised maneuver" (WRONGMOVE). Also, fill-wise, I quite relished BUDGE, MOB, CHUM, and BANDO.
~Frannie.
You were quite right to pepper this review with its own theme material. Hah. Nice work.
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