Nice ten-stacks in the NW and SE corners, and a cool staggered middle, with one fifteen and offset tens around it. And while we're talking about structure, I also liked the pins of LIBERTYBELL (Philadelphia tourist attraction) and FIGHTSDIRTY (Claws or bites). Have I already told the story about the last time I visited the LIBERTYBELL? It was sometime after 9/11, and security had been beefed up. I had to go through a metal detector, and I had forgotten about the small Buck knife that I sometimes carried with me. The very large security guard asked me to empty my pockets. He took the knife, which barely spanned his palm. He looked at the knife, looked at me, apparently assessed the risk in his mind, then handed it back to me and said "Go ahead."
Lots of lively fill today. BARBIECORE (Trend that involves pink accessories and décor) was fun. AMERICANO (Watered-down espresso, essentially) was amusingly judgy, but not INAPT, and DIALITBACK ("Whoa! Easy there, buddy!") was nice and slangy. It's a little unfortunate about the duplication in PLAYITCOOL (Act like everything's normal despite how one feels) and PLAYACTION (Football maneuver involving a fake handoff), but it's not egregious, IMO.
Howzabout somebody explain to me why "Let go to pot?" is a good clue for ANTE. I get that the ANTE goes to the pot, but ... "let go to?" And the question mark? Much better are the non-QMC "Exclamation to an old chap" (ISAY), and the QMC "Present-day attire?" (SANTASUIT). Hah! Also, "Pre-smash hit" was a very nice clue for LOB, but "One may cover estates," (LAW) was trying too hard.
- Horace
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