Today's puzzle offers solvers a whole bunch of flowers as theme answers. In each quadrant, two flowers are CROSSPOLINATED at the Across/Down intersection where their shared letter is circled. For example, in the northeast we have ASTER and PEONY. The clues for the flowers convey interesting facts about each blossom. As a long-time crossword puzzle solver, "lei" is well-known to me, but, having never been to Hawaii, I did not know that lei's are made from HIBISCUS. We learn that the AZALEA is a "bloom whose toxic nectar is one source of 'mad honey.'" Coincidentally, I recently read a book ("The Towers of Trebizond" by Rose Macaulay) which featured a camel being driven crazy by "mad honey" from time to time as the main character rode it through mid-20th century Turkey. The theme C/AP that made me most gladiolus was "Flower found along a metaphorical path of ease" (PRIMROSE).
Overall, I thought the puzzle featured some colorful clues. I enjoyed "Don't believe it" (LIE), "Narrow margin of victory" (HAIR), "Charging option" (VISA), "First sign of fall" (LIBRA), "Bed cover" (MULCH), and "Alice, in Wonderland" (VISITOR) - so much depends upon a comma.
In the category we here at HAFDTNYTCPFCAWCCFP like to call QMCs, or Question Mark Clues but which, in this context, I'll call posies (heh), I very much enjoyed "Winter coat?" / ICE, "Airdrops?" / MIST - always a bonus when a plural clue results in an answer without an "S" at the end - and the theme C/AP "Flower found at the end of a rainbow?" / VIOLET - an arc de triomphe. :)
Fill-wise, I liked INTRIGUE, HOLYTOLEDO, and MULCH. The only thorn that arose was the surprising-to-me MEAT for "Nitty-gritty," which I found kind of a weird anther.
I'm guessing that loyal reader and commenter Huygens enjoyed the two math clues "All primes except 2" (ODDNUMBERS) and "Siete + uno" (OCHO) in the midwest. And possibly also "Pattern based on nature" (CAMO). :)
Myosotis and come back tomorrow for more dandy crossword commentary. :)
~Frannie.
Very nice work, Frances. I liked allium references you frond.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed ODDNUMBERS more than OCHO, but got both right away, of course. I like that the shared, circled letters spell BEES, which we here at the YBH like to help along by participating for many years now in No Mow May, which is going on right now! I also was happy to see OCCAM in there, first hearing of him in Carl Sagan's "Contact," both the book and the excellent movie starring Jodie Foster, quite the TOMATO, IMO, though she wouldn't be too interested in me. I'm sure she's a SAG member. And isn't CBD just BS?
ReplyDeleteThanks for mentioning that the circled letters spelled BEES, Huygens! I meant to include that bit that but got carried away with my flower puns. :/
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