0:07:13
A decent enough Monday. I was annoyed for a second at the theme, because I didn't see them all as blues songs, but then I re-read the revealer clue, 63A: What the artists of 16-, 27-, and 49-Across are doing (in reference to the last words of their hits)? (SINGINGTHEBLUES), and I realized that it was more about shades of blue than the blues, so, not bad after all. Only four answers are involved in the theme, but they're huge (2 15s and 2 13s), so it still adds up to a lot of theme squares.
Some nice non-theme long stuff in here, too. GETTYSBURG (29D: Locale for an 1863 address), AREWEALONE (2D: "Can anybody hear us?"), and the WOEISME (6D: "Alas!")/RUBITIN (9D: Gloat) pair. I don't know why I think of them as a pair, but I do. Both seven letters?
Some somewhat unusual stuff, especially for a Monday, like 17D: Nobel-winning author André (GIDE), and SENEGAL (44D: Dakar's land), and some all-too-normal stuff, like TSAR and ASEA. But overall I liked it just fine.
- Horace
Monday, October 7, 2013
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Sunday, October 6, 2013, Patrick Berry
0:42:41
Kind of a quick Sunday. It was a fun theme, though. I think my favorite might have been GARBAGECANTO (88A: Portion of Dante's "Inferno" that was wisely excised?). That's some quality fill and clueing right there. And BUYONEGETONEFRITO (58A: Stingy snack vendor's special offer?) is hilarious.
I learned today that the Lincoln Longwool produces the heaviest, longest, and most lustrous fleece of any breed of sheep in the world (20A: Like Lincolns/OVINE). And I had completely forgotten about the existence of Josip Broz Tito. That was probably the weakest of the theme answers. (41A: The Josip Broz Memorial Trophy?/CUPOFTITO). And while I'm in this vein, if you SKIPOFF, is that really a good way to 14D: Leave surreptitiously? Seems like it might kind of attract attention, actually...
And who knew sulfuric acid was OILY?
Nice to see mention of the useful Scrabble word "cwm" (66A: Like the word "cwm"), and Frannie knew that it was WELSH, so that helped. She sometimes quotes the old Dave Barry joke - "It's tragic to listen to Welsh mothers teaching their children traditional songs like 'Old MacDonald Had A Farm' and lapsing into heart-rending silence when they get to the 'E I E I O' bit."
I'm in kind of a big Keat's phase, so it was nice to see 98A: "Here lies One ____ Name was writ in Water" (words on Keats's tombstone)(WHOSE). I believe he ordered those lines himself. Who else would or could have, I suppose?
A lot of the other fill just seemed kind of, well, normal, but 4D: Service manual? (HYMNBOOK) was quite nice. And 97D: Pop lover (MOM) was very cute.
Clean and fun. Not stellar, or anything, but solid.
- Horace
Kind of a quick Sunday. It was a fun theme, though. I think my favorite might have been GARBAGECANTO (88A: Portion of Dante's "Inferno" that was wisely excised?). That's some quality fill and clueing right there. And BUYONEGETONEFRITO (58A: Stingy snack vendor's special offer?) is hilarious.
I learned today that the Lincoln Longwool produces the heaviest, longest, and most lustrous fleece of any breed of sheep in the world (20A: Like Lincolns/OVINE). And I had completely forgotten about the existence of Josip Broz Tito. That was probably the weakest of the theme answers. (41A: The Josip Broz Memorial Trophy?/CUPOFTITO). And while I'm in this vein, if you SKIPOFF, is that really a good way to 14D: Leave surreptitiously? Seems like it might kind of attract attention, actually...
And who knew sulfuric acid was OILY?
Nice to see mention of the useful Scrabble word "cwm" (66A: Like the word "cwm"), and Frannie knew that it was WELSH, so that helped. She sometimes quotes the old Dave Barry joke - "It's tragic to listen to Welsh mothers teaching their children traditional songs like 'Old MacDonald Had A Farm' and lapsing into heart-rending silence when they get to the 'E I E I O' bit."
I'm in kind of a big Keat's phase, so it was nice to see 98A: "Here lies One ____ Name was writ in Water" (words on Keats's tombstone)(WHOSE). I believe he ordered those lines himself. Who else would or could have, I suppose?
A lot of the other fill just seemed kind of, well, normal, but 4D: Service manual? (HYMNBOOK) was quite nice. And 97D: Pop lover (MOM) was very cute.
Clean and fun. Not stellar, or anything, but solid.
- Horace
Saturday, October 5, 2013, Byron Walden
1:31:41
Frannie and I passed this back and forth with Huygens, and
although the time says it was a decent challenge, it never really felt that way
to me. Three people doing a puzzle together makes it seem pretty easy. Still,
there were plenty of interesting and/or fun clues.
The side-by-side pair of 34D: Tip used for icing (SILENCER) and 38D: They will be missed
(DODGERS) was good, and ENS (7D: Nissan bumpers?) is a nice
twist on the “_____ starter”-type clue.
It was also interesting to learn (or relearn) that NAPALM was used as the 43D: Dresden decimator of 1945.
How many tragedies are five act (ACTFIVE) (1A: It may provide closure in a tragedy)? And what
locals, exactly, call MANX CATs
“stubbin?” Do they come from the Isle of Man?! Interesting. And I did not
realize that DOYOUWANNADANCE was a
50A: 1965 Beach Boys hit. I know it from John Lennon’s “Rock and Roll” album,
and before that I would have guessed it was the Everly Brothers, or someone
more like that. I also had no idea that FLAX
was used as a 10A: Cigarette paper source. And while I’m in this vein, I
might as well ask if anyone knew that “monitor” in the clue 16D: Large monitors
(KOMODODRAGONS) referred to “any of
a family (Varanidae) of usually very large, flesh-eating lizards of Africa, S
Asia, and Australia: from the notion that they warn of the presence of
crocodiles?” I did not. Very interesting, indeed.
Loved KABOOM (40D:
Major report). Enjoyed SEWER (45D:
Something beyond the grate divide?). Really, there wasn’t much I didn’t enjoy
in this.
A fine Saturday.
- Horace
Friday, October 4, 2013
Friday, October 4, 2013, Bruce R. Sutphin
0:42:33
A pretty fun Friday. Some nice stuff, like TRAPEZE (26D: Bar that's set very high), ENCAMPS (37D: Does some outdoor pitching), CHUNNEL (15A: Very long European link), and others. Got tricked in a few places - for example, I tried "Bon Jovi" for 1A: Hall-of-Fame rock band or its lead musician (SANTANA), and I had "You Tube" at first for 8A: It sends out lots of streams (NETFLIX), but once the downs started dropping in, those were fixed up.
The NW was where we ended today. I got tricked on one of my favorite kinds of clues: 5D: Mediums for dummies, say, Abbr. (ANAG). Sheesh! That's another good one of those! But even though we got hung up in a few places, nothing seemed too terribly hard. I'm not familiar with the EURE river or department, but those crosses going through it were so good that I hardly noticed it at all. TORNADO (43D: What might take up residence?) and SPEEDOS (44D: Truncated trunks?) are both quality material.
Overall, quite enjoyable.
- Horace
A pretty fun Friday. Some nice stuff, like TRAPEZE (26D: Bar that's set very high), ENCAMPS (37D: Does some outdoor pitching), CHUNNEL (15A: Very long European link), and others. Got tricked in a few places - for example, I tried "Bon Jovi" for 1A: Hall-of-Fame rock band or its lead musician (SANTANA), and I had "You Tube" at first for 8A: It sends out lots of streams (NETFLIX), but once the downs started dropping in, those were fixed up.
The NW was where we ended today. I got tricked on one of my favorite kinds of clues: 5D: Mediums for dummies, say, Abbr. (ANAG). Sheesh! That's another good one of those! But even though we got hung up in a few places, nothing seemed too terribly hard. I'm not familiar with the EURE river or department, but those crosses going through it were so good that I hardly noticed it at all. TORNADO (43D: What might take up residence?) and SPEEDOS (44D: Truncated trunks?) are both quality material.
Overall, quite enjoyable.
- Horace
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Thursday, October 3, 2013, Evan Birnholz
0:36:07
A very clever Thursday, shot full of holes. The "To be or not to be" theme is very, very good. For across clues, the answer is yes, for Downs, it's no. Really, it's quite beautiful.
Some of the fill is almost shocking in its modernity. Witness SUCKS[BB]YOU (17A: "Good thing I don't have the same problem!"), and SCREWIT (45D: "Whatever!"). Very fresh fill, in two ways! I'm sure that the AMISH (30D: Some buggy drivers), and whoever wrote ADESTE (22D: Christmas hymn beginning) Fidelis would blanch at the sight of such entries!
The asymmetry of the rebus squares is key, as it keeps one from simply filling in the corners, or all the Vs, for example, once the pattern is learned. Here, the eight "BB" holes must be found separately. Well, except for the revealer, I guess. Once you get the beginning, you get the end, or vice versa.
I like PHOENIX (20A: River of film) as fill, and 23A: That's the point (DOT) was good. I struggled a bit when "lunch" didn't work out for 24A: Meal at which to drink four cups of wine (SEDER), but the crosses fixed that right up. 25A: Part of a pickup line? (TAXI) was excellent, and I was on the right track for 42A: One who may need a shower? (BRIDE[BB]), but it was not the first rebus I figured out, so it took a while for me to get it right. Oh, and the very next one, CHESSSET (44A: Holder of a pair of queens) was brilliant, too. So much good stuff!
On the down side, OHOS (14A: "Look what I found!" cries) is pretty weak, but I'm going to cut Mr. Birnholz quite a bit of slack today. Great theme/trick, lots of clever/interesting fill... Great Thursday!
- Horace
A very clever Thursday, shot full of holes. The "To be or not to be" theme is very, very good. For across clues, the answer is yes, for Downs, it's no. Really, it's quite beautiful.
Some of the fill is almost shocking in its modernity. Witness SUCKS[BB]YOU (17A: "Good thing I don't have the same problem!"), and SCREWIT (45D: "Whatever!"). Very fresh fill, in two ways! I'm sure that the AMISH (30D: Some buggy drivers), and whoever wrote ADESTE (22D: Christmas hymn beginning) Fidelis would blanch at the sight of such entries!
The asymmetry of the rebus squares is key, as it keeps one from simply filling in the corners, or all the Vs, for example, once the pattern is learned. Here, the eight "BB" holes must be found separately. Well, except for the revealer, I guess. Once you get the beginning, you get the end, or vice versa.
I like PHOENIX (20A: River of film) as fill, and 23A: That's the point (DOT) was good. I struggled a bit when "lunch" didn't work out for 24A: Meal at which to drink four cups of wine (SEDER), but the crosses fixed that right up. 25A: Part of a pickup line? (TAXI) was excellent, and I was on the right track for 42A: One who may need a shower? (BRIDE[BB]), but it was not the first rebus I figured out, so it took a while for me to get it right. Oh, and the very next one, CHESSSET (44A: Holder of a pair of queens) was brilliant, too. So much good stuff!
On the down side, OHOS (14A: "Look what I found!" cries) is pretty weak, but I'm going to cut Mr. Birnholz quite a bit of slack today. Great theme/trick, lots of clever/interesting fill... Great Thursday!
- Horace
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Wednesday, October 2, 2013, Paula Gamache
0:20:21
I tend to enjoy this kind of jokey wordplay theme. JUMPATTHECHANTS (58A: Be startled by singing monks?), is maybe my favorite, and PRINTSOFTHIEVES (17A: What Ali Baba found on the treasure in the cave?) is my least. It's clever, but wouldn't the treasure be gone?
Decent enough fill, I guess. You've got your OONAs and your OBEs and stuff like POLI and ELEV, but, well, it's fine. The crossing of AIDAN (14A: Actor Quinn) and ADIN (3D: Deuce follower) is interesting, and we've got both GIG (24D: Booking) and GIGI (54A: Lerner/Loewe musical set in Paris), and TMEN (51D: Eliot Ness and others) and TBIRD (31D: Car mentioned in the Beach Boys' "Fun, Fun, Fun"), which is a little weird. Is that kind of thing intentional? or just coincidence? I'm gonna go with intentional.
Favorite clue/answer: 49A: You'll need to take steps to get to it (ATTIC). Nice.
It wasn't my favorite ever, but you won't hear any BOOING from me. A decent Wednesday.
- Horace
I tend to enjoy this kind of jokey wordplay theme. JUMPATTHECHANTS (58A: Be startled by singing monks?), is maybe my favorite, and PRINTSOFTHIEVES (17A: What Ali Baba found on the treasure in the cave?) is my least. It's clever, but wouldn't the treasure be gone?
Decent enough fill, I guess. You've got your OONAs and your OBEs and stuff like POLI and ELEV, but, well, it's fine. The crossing of AIDAN (14A: Actor Quinn) and ADIN (3D: Deuce follower) is interesting, and we've got both GIG (24D: Booking) and GIGI (54A: Lerner/Loewe musical set in Paris), and TMEN (51D: Eliot Ness and others) and TBIRD (31D: Car mentioned in the Beach Boys' "Fun, Fun, Fun"), which is a little weird. Is that kind of thing intentional? or just coincidence? I'm gonna go with intentional.
Favorite clue/answer: 49A: You'll need to take steps to get to it (ATTIC). Nice.
It wasn't my favorite ever, but you won't hear any BOOING from me. A decent Wednesday.
- Horace
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Tuesday, October 1, 2013, Joel Fagliano
0:17:50
Man, this, to me, seems like a perfect early-week - or even mid week - NYT crossword puzzle. Very clean fill, and a beautiful, elegant theme. Really, it's just gorgeous. I guess it forces a 180-degree symmetry instead of the usual rotational symmetry, but that doesn't bother me a bit. And didn't the black squares in the middle (minus the vertical line at the bottom) kind of look like an excited cartoon dog, jumping up and putting his arms up? Well... they did to me...
The fill is mostly unstrained, despite the heavy "V" requirements. Well, except maybe for KISLEV (28A: Hebrew month when Hanukkah starts). Do all Jews know the Hebrew calendar? I sure don't. But on the plus side, I thought that all the 10-letter answers were better than average. LOVERSLANE (3D: Make-out session spot), LIVINGWILL (11D: Medical directive), VICARIOUS (35D: Experienced through another), and VENETIANS (37D: Shakespeare's Antonio and Bassanio, e.g.) were all quite good. Maybe because of all the Vs, I don't know.
I like that OWL (33A: Hundred Acre Wood resident) is chosen today from the group, instead of the more usual "Roo" or "Pooh." REVIVAL (34A: Place to hear fire and brimstone) was refreshingly unusual, and WHO (38A: Personal question?), while being a little odd by itself, is made better by its symmetry with "Owl."
We've seen puzzles with Mr. Fagliano's byline a lot since starting these reviews, and we haven't always loved them, but he nailed this one.
- Horace
Man, this, to me, seems like a perfect early-week - or even mid week - NYT crossword puzzle. Very clean fill, and a beautiful, elegant theme. Really, it's just gorgeous. I guess it forces a 180-degree symmetry instead of the usual rotational symmetry, but that doesn't bother me a bit. And didn't the black squares in the middle (minus the vertical line at the bottom) kind of look like an excited cartoon dog, jumping up and putting his arms up? Well... they did to me...
The fill is mostly unstrained, despite the heavy "V" requirements. Well, except maybe for KISLEV (28A: Hebrew month when Hanukkah starts). Do all Jews know the Hebrew calendar? I sure don't. But on the plus side, I thought that all the 10-letter answers were better than average. LOVERSLANE (3D: Make-out session spot), LIVINGWILL (11D: Medical directive), VICARIOUS (35D: Experienced through another), and VENETIANS (37D: Shakespeare's Antonio and Bassanio, e.g.) were all quite good. Maybe because of all the Vs, I don't know.
I like that OWL (33A: Hundred Acre Wood resident) is chosen today from the group, instead of the more usual "Roo" or "Pooh." REVIVAL (34A: Place to hear fire and brimstone) was refreshingly unusual, and WHO (38A: Personal question?), while being a little odd by itself, is made better by its symmetry with "Owl."
We've seen puzzles with Mr. Fagliano's byline a lot since starting these reviews, and we haven't always loved them, but he nailed this one.
- Horace
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