Today's puzzle has a neat device. The four theme answers are common expressions whose first four-letter words (or, in one case, syllable) can be read as two two-letter words; and the resulting phrases are clued accordingly:
- MAINDRAG - "Parent dressed up at a Pride parade, perhaps?"
- DOORNAILS - "Choice between a haircut and manicure?"
- BEATTHECLOCK - "'Meet me under Big Ben'?"
- GOONSQUAD - "'Continue with your routine, cheerleaders'?"
See what's going on? These are fun, goofy and just a little contrived. I like that the last two, when re-parsed, are commands. I also liked having to get to these indirectly - with enough crossers to make the answers apparent, and then seeing how the clues make sense. Definitions for the 'original' phrases are nowhere to be found.
I'm not sold on the revealer - HALFTIME - supposed to be a hint to interpreting the first parts of the above. I guess .. split them in HALF? I dunno. I feel like I might be missing something. Comments?
The rest of the grid was easy peasy, though I lost time in the NE corner by entering HIGHTOP instead of COUNTER as a "Booth alternative at a diner". This is the kind of speculative grid entry I need to avoid at the ACPT.... Are erotica and PORN really synonymous? ... Clever to have two 'Q'-themed Down clues side by side (TAB is next to Q on the keyboard, and the Q in LGBTQ is QUEER)
I have fond memories of pigging out on CAPN Crunch as a child, as gross as it made me feel afterward.
I enjoyed this one. See you tomorrow!
-philbo
I liked this theme a lot. People can be so clever. And I'm right there with you with the CAPN Crunch - for me it was the Crunchberries. The roof of my mouth would be all abraded by them.
ReplyDeleteAnd PORN vs. Erotica - I think there is probably enough overlap in the Venn diagram to allow this cluing, but yeah, there are also large sections outside of that union, as it were.
Nice one! And, my mouth-roof-abrader was Froot Loops...
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