Saturday, February 17, 2024, Spencer Leach and Jem Burch

An interesting layout, some HEP fill including TSWIZZLE and SUSHIPIZZA, and a pangram provided OURS of fun today. Well, not hours, exactly, but I did unhappily extend my solve time thanks to the ONUS of a FWOE in the northeast. The specifics in the clue "N.B.A. team that shares an arena with the N.H.L.'s Stars, familiarly" were, unfortunately, totally lost on me, but looking at _AVS in the grid and having a notion that I had heard of a sports team called the cAVS,  I went with the letter C. The fact that the Down answer thus became ONEcAN ("Like some shows and bands") didn't phase me as much as it should have, possibly because the answer *was* made up of two actual words, and, if I'm honest, I didn't really get the clue, despite the fact that we have a good friend who is a popular ONEMAN band around these parts. Derp.

Elsewhere, the puzzle's SQUAREFEET were filled with some fine answers. I particularly liked "Makes quiet, in a way" for OILS. "Small part of a window" for PIXEL was clever. "Position with security" for STEADYGIG was also nice. Both "Half and half" for ONE and "Grumpy companion" for SNEEZY were fun. And who doesn't love the word SIDLE? In the QMC category, I especially liked, "Head for the toilet, say?" (SLANG). 

I admit I was surprised to find the answer to "Going after the big bucks, say" was INHEAT. Also, personally, I wouldn't characterize LANOLIN as a foul odor, but to each their own, non? And, for all I know, ZITI may be a traditional wedding dish in Southern Italy, but not one of my three Italian dictionaries translated zita, zito, or ziti as bride or brides, but I sposa someone found it somewhere.

It's Saturday, dear Readers, and I'm DONEZO for the week. OLAV you in the capable hands of our esteemed co-blogger, Philbo. TTYL!

~Frannie.