One thing I've learned from chatting with the elite solvers at the NYT crossword tournament is - if speed matters to you, it pays to figure out the theme early, if there is one. But that's not how I roll (to my detriment at the tourney) - I like things to reveal themselves, either by deduction from the theme answers (satisfying) or finally via the revealer clue (a nice aha! moment). And so it was with the Thursday crossword, with its interesting 16x15 grid.
Today's journey was especially rewarding. The theme clues seemed to be Yes/No answers, each with a qualifier of sorts; I had to leave them unsolved as I worked my way through the grid, all the way to the revealer near the bottom - "Question during a brainstorm session..." - DOESTHISHAVELEGS - and it all made sense, as the question being answered by the theme clues. Does an IRONMANTRIATHLON have legs? Yes - three arduous ones! Does a MILLIPEDE have legs? Yes - sometimes more than 1,000! Does a DIRECTFLIGHT? Yes - exactly one! And finally and funniest, does a YARDSTICK? No - but it does have three feet! (Sounds like a kids' riddle..)
My favourite C/AP today was NOONE ("Who knows what preceded the Big Bang") as it evokes for me the mind-bending geometry of space-time and the postulation that the concept of "before" is meaningless in the context of the Big Bang, which runs counter to our conventional notion of what "time" even is. On a lighter note, "Mince words?" (EDIT) was cute and I bet/hope brought a smile to our fearless leader Will S. I want to try Chirashi sushi now that I know it's garnished with ROE. I didn't know IHOP issues "Stackholder Perks" as part of its employee rewards program. When I saw the clue, I was hoping the answer would somehow be LEGO.
I saw my parents sing in a choral performance of HANDEL's "Messiah" some years back. It remains one of the most moving things I've ever experienced.
Ok, this review's INTHEBAG. A demain, mes amis!
-philbo
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