0:27:57
So many Xs! This was a good one. Loved CHILLAX (1A: Take it easy), SEXSCENE (35A: Hot shot?) (!), BALDSPOT (40D: Unlocked area?), PARADOX (59A: "This statement is false," e.g.), and CATERWAUL (36D: Shrill howl), among others.
Never heard of STYLETS (64A: Sharp-pointed instruments), and FAST (53A: Completely dry, as a racetrack) took a long time, and seemed almost too unspecific, but it was the key to that whole SW quadrant, which was where we ended up. Had EXAMbooks for a while, but FAST gave us EXAMPAPER (38D: School handout), which led to IPHONES (57A: BlackBerry routers) (nice clue!), which fixed GENL (54D: Mil. bigwig) (from "GNRL"… how should I know? They both look odd), and which led to LEONINE (61A: Strong and regal) (didn't we just see "lionize" recently?). Whew!
Frannie didn't love EXENEMY (37A: Germany, to Britain) (or vice versa?), and there were a few odd plurals, like 43A: T-shirt sizes, for short (SML). Was expecting "SMS" "LGS" or "XLS," but got the singular SML. Why? I guess they can be taken collectively. Also, isn't it Le HAVRE (2D: Where French ships dock)? But the other french clue makes up for it - DEJAVU (32A: It's nothing new). Ha!
Lots of good, not much bad. Take POET (48A: One who deals with stress well?) - that one clue is better than yesterday's entire theme. Ha! Yeah, I said it.
Very nice Friday.
- Horace
Friday, April 25, 2014
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Thursday, April 24, 2014, Stanley Newman
0:27:46
What an odd theme, based solely on the syllabic length of the clues. Very strange. We got it from FOURSYLLABLES (57A: The theme, part 3), and then were able to fill in the first two parts, but still... I'm not terribly wowed by the whole thing.
Furthermore, LOANERCAR (6D: Wheels for a while) would probably have been better as "rental car," and "19A: What walls might hide" (SAFES), should probably have been "What pictures might hide," but it would have been too many syllables. And "23A: It may be felt" (TEXTILES) seems a little weak, too. And LIFEBELTS? OK, whatever.
I don't know, maybe it's just me, but if I had to sum it up in four syllables, they might be "Not a fun solve."
- Horace
What an odd theme, based solely on the syllabic length of the clues. Very strange. We got it from FOURSYLLABLES (57A: The theme, part 3), and then were able to fill in the first two parts, but still... I'm not terribly wowed by the whole thing.
Furthermore, LOANERCAR (6D: Wheels for a while) would probably have been better as "rental car," and "19A: What walls might hide" (SAFES), should probably have been "What pictures might hide," but it would have been too many syllables. And "23A: It may be felt" (TEXTILES) seems a little weak, too. And LIFEBELTS? OK, whatever.
I don't know, maybe it's just me, but if I had to sum it up in four syllables, they might be "Not a fun solve."
- Horace
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014, David J. Kahn
0:19:35
See what I mean? They'll commemorate anything, anytime. Not that the MERCURY SEVEN (71A: & 1D: first American astronauts) don't deserve fêting, they do, it's just that, well, what about Earth Day!?
All that aside, however, this was a decent puzzle. Working in all seven names, as well as the MERCURY, SEVEN, ROCKET (9D: NASA vehicle), and SPACERACE (12D: Old U.S./Soviet rivalry), and even what I'm calling bonus theme commentary, ATROPHIED (21D: Weakened due to inactivity) (like America's manned space program) - that's a lot of fill!
You end up with a little bit of KAON (38D: Unstable subatomic particle) (unstable fill?), OTOE, and Crossword's favorite family, ALOU (35D: Baseball family name), but there's plenty of good non-theme stuff, too. VAMOOSE (17A: Blow the joint), TORRID (31A: Not just hot), GNASH (8D: Grind), and my favorite clue today 13D: It's a crock (OLLA). Hah!
I liked it.
- Horace
See what I mean? They'll commemorate anything, anytime. Not that the MERCURY SEVEN (71A: & 1D: first American astronauts) don't deserve fêting, they do, it's just that, well, what about Earth Day!?
All that aside, however, this was a decent puzzle. Working in all seven names, as well as the MERCURY, SEVEN, ROCKET (9D: NASA vehicle), and SPACERACE (12D: Old U.S./Soviet rivalry), and even what I'm calling bonus theme commentary, ATROPHIED (21D: Weakened due to inactivity) (like America's manned space program) - that's a lot of fill!
You end up with a little bit of KAON (38D: Unstable subatomic particle) (unstable fill?), OTOE, and Crossword's favorite family, ALOU (35D: Baseball family name), but there's plenty of good non-theme stuff, too. VAMOOSE (17A: Blow the joint), TORRID (31A: Not just hot), GNASH (8D: Grind), and my favorite clue today 13D: It's a crock (OLLA). Hah!
I liked it.
- Horace
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Tuesday, April 22, 2014, Ed Sessa
0:12:39
AGIO (2D: Foreign exchange fee)?! What the hell is that? It wouldn't have mattered if our African geography were up to snuff, or if we knew the first thing about Mötley Crüe, but it isn't and we don't. I also couldn't think of anything to go with 17A: ____ pink (TICKLED), but luckily, Frannie noticed that the circles all had TICK or TOCK in them, so that helped a lot.
Best clue: 62A: Half moon? (BUTTOCK). Second best: 18A: Fruitcake (NUTCASE). Honorable mention: 60A: It may be read to a miscreant (RIOTACT).
I didn't love this. Lots I didn't know (HENTOFF, AUDIE, CLARO, some I didn't like AMOF, AROO, EEKS, AOKS, and "58A: :-), for one" - that's an EMOTICON, not just an ICON.
Lastly, it's Earth Day, and I wish that had been commemorated with more than the clue for 1D: Smoky-voiced Eartha (KITT) :-). I kid, but seriously, why not? We get puzzles for Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address and the I Have A Dream speech, and who knows what all else. Perhaps Earth Day should be the theme for the first puzzle I submit to the NYT…
- Horace
AGIO (2D: Foreign exchange fee)?! What the hell is that? It wouldn't have mattered if our African geography were up to snuff, or if we knew the first thing about Mötley Crüe, but it isn't and we don't. I also couldn't think of anything to go with 17A: ____ pink (TICKLED), but luckily, Frannie noticed that the circles all had TICK or TOCK in them, so that helped a lot.
Best clue: 62A: Half moon? (BUTTOCK). Second best: 18A: Fruitcake (NUTCASE). Honorable mention: 60A: It may be read to a miscreant (RIOTACT).
I didn't love this. Lots I didn't know (HENTOFF, AUDIE, CLARO, some I didn't like AMOF, AROO, EEKS, AOKS, and "58A: :-), for one" - that's an EMOTICON, not just an ICON.
Lastly, it's Earth Day, and I wish that had been commemorated with more than the clue for 1D: Smoky-voiced Eartha (KITT) :-). I kid, but seriously, why not? We get puzzles for Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address and the I Have A Dream speech, and who knows what all else. Perhaps Earth Day should be the theme for the first puzzle I submit to the NYT…
- Horace
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014, John Lieb
0:06:21
If I were faster with the thumbs this could have been a record. Very little resistance was put up by this one. I started with the downs, and when I checked the long crosses they were almost all done. Except, I guess, for CENSUSTAKER (47A: Decennial official). I couldn't make heads or tails of the clue, so I really did need for it to be pretty much completed by crosses.
The theme is great, in my opinion. A simple phrase - COUNTEREXAMPLES (58A: They disprove claims … or 17-, 23-, 38- and 47-Across, in a way?) - is given a twist to define occupations that require counting. Very nice.
In the fill, I don't count too many grumblers. Maybe TOS, TSOS, and ANE, but nothing truly hatable, and there's some very nice bonus fill in MOCCASIN (29D: Comfortable footwear), PRATFALL (18D: Buster Keaton specialty), and SULTAN (45D: Ottoman bigwig) (It's not agha or emir!).
All in all, I count this as a pretty nice Monday.
- Horace
p.s. It's a John Lieb twofer today, as he also has the syndicated.
If I were faster with the thumbs this could have been a record. Very little resistance was put up by this one. I started with the downs, and when I checked the long crosses they were almost all done. Except, I guess, for CENSUSTAKER (47A: Decennial official). I couldn't make heads or tails of the clue, so I really did need for it to be pretty much completed by crosses.
The theme is great, in my opinion. A simple phrase - COUNTEREXAMPLES (58A: They disprove claims … or 17-, 23-, 38- and 47-Across, in a way?) - is given a twist to define occupations that require counting. Very nice.
In the fill, I don't count too many grumblers. Maybe TOS, TSOS, and ANE, but nothing truly hatable, and there's some very nice bonus fill in MOCCASIN (29D: Comfortable footwear), PRATFALL (18D: Buster Keaton specialty), and SULTAN (45D: Ottoman bigwig) (It's not agha or emir!).
All in all, I count this as a pretty nice Monday.
- Horace
p.s. It's a John Lieb twofer today, as he also has the syndicated.
Sunday, April 20, 2014, Elizabeth C. Gorski
1:15:19
ON WHEELS
Totally missed the theme today while solving. Well, we realized that all the circles had Os in them, and I thought maybe it was supposed to be like Easter Eggs, but it's so much more than that. The cirlces and Os are wheels, and they sit symmetrically underneath car models. One is even contained within a car (GEO (99A: Former Chevrolet division)), but I think that was mere coincidence. It's a little weird, because there are other Os all over the place, and sometimes they're also under the car name (see - CHARGER), but I guess it's kind of cool. Now that I see it.
Even knowing the theme, the puzzle didn't wow us. It took us forever to finish, and it never felt terribly fun. Even the inclusion of perhaps my favorite album ever ELLA (18A: "____ and Louis," 1956 jazz album) couldn't save it.
We foundered in the East, in the morass of proper names. CAVUTO (44D: Neil of Fox News), OLIN (45D: Ken of "Brothers & Sisters"), KHLOE (47D: One of the Kardashians) (why?), and SAENS (48D: Composer Camille Saint-____) (I knew this one) - that's a lot all in one place. And STOPCOCKS (43A: Pipe valves) isn't exactly a gimme!
There were nice clues for - CRIERS (7D: Ones who are the talk of the town?), CALDER (33A: Mobile home seeker?) (wow, really?), ALOHA (52A: Greeting that includes a Spanish greeting in reverse?) (convoluted, but still cool), and EMBARGO (58A: Complete shutout?). And there was some fancy fill like LISLE, ANDRONICUS, SNOWYEGRET, but there were also words like SCAB, PORE, EARTAG, and STOOL, which are, as Franny says, "Icky." And WORDAGE? Come on.
Let's call it a mixed bag, or, since it's Easter, a mixed basket.
- Horace
ON WHEELS
Totally missed the theme today while solving. Well, we realized that all the circles had Os in them, and I thought maybe it was supposed to be like Easter Eggs, but it's so much more than that. The cirlces and Os are wheels, and they sit symmetrically underneath car models. One is even contained within a car (GEO (99A: Former Chevrolet division)), but I think that was mere coincidence. It's a little weird, because there are other Os all over the place, and sometimes they're also under the car name (see - CHARGER), but I guess it's kind of cool. Now that I see it.
Even knowing the theme, the puzzle didn't wow us. It took us forever to finish, and it never felt terribly fun. Even the inclusion of perhaps my favorite album ever ELLA (18A: "____ and Louis," 1956 jazz album) couldn't save it.
We foundered in the East, in the morass of proper names. CAVUTO (44D: Neil of Fox News), OLIN (45D: Ken of "Brothers & Sisters"), KHLOE (47D: One of the Kardashians) (why?), and SAENS (48D: Composer Camille Saint-____) (I knew this one) - that's a lot all in one place. And STOPCOCKS (43A: Pipe valves) isn't exactly a gimme!
There were nice clues for - CRIERS (7D: Ones who are the talk of the town?), CALDER (33A: Mobile home seeker?) (wow, really?), ALOHA (52A: Greeting that includes a Spanish greeting in reverse?) (convoluted, but still cool), and EMBARGO (58A: Complete shutout?). And there was some fancy fill like LISLE, ANDRONICUS, SNOWYEGRET, but there were also words like SCAB, PORE, EARTAG, and STOOL, which are, as Franny says, "Icky." And WORDAGE? Come on.
Let's call it a mixed bag, or, since it's Easter, a mixed basket.
- Horace
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Saturday, April 19, 2014, Stu Ockman
0:26:22
After yesterday, this was a cakewalk! The stacks were paper tigers, as the phrases fell ONEAFTERANOTHER (16A: Sequential). Frannie got THEGOBLETOFFIRE (17A: Harry Potter series part) first, and then things just kept rolling. A few tricky parts here and there, like the crossing of KENAI (26A: Alaska's ____ Fjords National Park) and LATAKIA (9D: Principal port of Syria). That is one that I think is totally unfair, but the rest had crosses that made them easier. SCACCHI (35D: Greta of "The Red Violin") and SNCC (35A: March on Washington grp.) was another guess, but really, it couldn't be many letters with that name.
I enjoyed the clues for SPOSE (53A: Quickly imagine?), and MELDING (7D: Putting one's cards on the table, in a way) (makes me think fondly back to playing canasta when I was much younger), and COFFER (11D: Strongbox) is a good word. NUEVA (30D: ____ York) and OSMOSES (39D: Seeps) (that's a verb?) seemed kind of cheap, and I'll have to defer final judgement to my astronomer friends, but EYELENS (44D: Telescope) also seems a little iffy. Isn't it an eyepiece?
Lots I didn't know - RESNIK, MIASARA, UAR, SCACCHI, LATAKIA, HAME… but it all went down, so I guess it's all right.
Favorite part? 58D: Bad computer? (HAL)
Decent enough.
- Horace
After yesterday, this was a cakewalk! The stacks were paper tigers, as the phrases fell ONEAFTERANOTHER (16A: Sequential). Frannie got THEGOBLETOFFIRE (17A: Harry Potter series part) first, and then things just kept rolling. A few tricky parts here and there, like the crossing of KENAI (26A: Alaska's ____ Fjords National Park) and LATAKIA (9D: Principal port of Syria). That is one that I think is totally unfair, but the rest had crosses that made them easier. SCACCHI (35D: Greta of "The Red Violin") and SNCC (35A: March on Washington grp.) was another guess, but really, it couldn't be many letters with that name.
I enjoyed the clues for SPOSE (53A: Quickly imagine?), and MELDING (7D: Putting one's cards on the table, in a way) (makes me think fondly back to playing canasta when I was much younger), and COFFER (11D: Strongbox) is a good word. NUEVA (30D: ____ York) and OSMOSES (39D: Seeps) (that's a verb?) seemed kind of cheap, and I'll have to defer final judgement to my astronomer friends, but EYELENS (44D: Telescope) also seems a little iffy. Isn't it an eyepiece?
Lots I didn't know - RESNIK, MIASARA, UAR, SCACCHI, LATAKIA, HAME… but it all went down, so I guess it's all right.
Favorite part? 58D: Bad computer? (HAL)
Decent enough.
- Horace
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