One should be on his or her toes (their toes? what's the better modern construction here?) upon encountering Mr. Walden's byline. And indeed today was a challenging Saturday, which I FWOE'd (finished with one error).
It's filled with tricksy clues - see, for example 24D: Trigger hair (MANE), playing on hair trigger, and the fact that Trigger is a classic horse name, with the hidden capital. And also please see 22A: Matches with forensics (DEBATECONTESTS) where the presumed verb at the start of the clue is actually a plural noun. Here, "forensics" is the art of public speaking, namely speaking in order to convince a group of people who will judge based on the evidence. It has latterly come to apply to forensic science, where evidence is treated scientifically in order to convince in a court of law.
In follow up to yesterday's exclamation point clue (and Horace, I agree in retrospect with your analysis of that clue), today we have 39A: Don't start with me! (SECONDSTRINGER). So much better! The "me" here is the answer, and it is literally true. Love it.
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| Cynthia ERIVO |
I loved 38D: They're concerned with feeding kits (VIXENS), where kits is the name for juvenile foxes, and the answer the name for their mothers. But who's ever heard of the word ZARFS? It comes from Arabic. But it's nice to know what to call the sleeves around your coffee cup.
My error came at the intersection of WATTLED and INTWOACTS. I had INTrOACTS, a real stretch, but I imagined these individuals getting their break on Broadway by opening for the more popular headliner. The actual answer merits the question mark. rATTLED seemed as likely as anything else, I guess.
Well, that's my week done and dusted. I turn you over to the capable hands of Philbo, starting tomorrow!
- Colum
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