Sunday, January 14, 2024

Sunday, January 14, 2024, John Kugelman

ER, IN OTHER WORDS

It's one of those "Normal phrases re-interpreted" themes today, where a thing like the standard JUNKDRAWER is given "Erotic artist?" as a clue, and "Farmers?" is answered by CHICKENTENDERS. Where a "Switch hitter?" is a FLICKEROFLIGHT (hah!) and "Animal tranquilizer?" clues NUMBEROFTHEBEAST. And the best, of course, is saved for last - "With 117-Across, the Grim Reaper?" = ANOFFERYOU CANTREFUSE. Not bad at all. :)

This took me a little longer than a Sunday usually does, and in the end I finished with a couple mistakes - I didn't know "Yesterday, in Spanish" (AYER), and "Street magician?" (WANDERAROUNDTOWN) just wasn't coming to me. You probably didn't have such difficulties.

Let's see, what else? I hadn't heard the slogan "Let me be perfectly QUEER" before. That's a good one. And I didn't realize that Anthony Hopkins only had 16 minutes of screen time when he won BESTACTOR for "The Silence of the Lambs." The record, in case you're interested, is five minutes and forty seconds, for Beatrice Straight's performance in "Network" (1976). 

And what's the name for a word that can sound different and mean different things? "Appropriate" is a good example. I kept thinking "apt" or something like that, but it's the SEIZE meaning that they wanted today. Heteronym. That's it.

Another one that got me for a long time was "Pan handle?" (PETER). Hah. 

How did you enjoy it?

- Horace



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