0:06:54
Well, I didn't love this one, but I did have a moment, when I saw "USU" starting a clue, that the grid might include the word "Usufruct." It didn't, sadly, but I amused myself by thinking of trying to put that into a grid someday. And while I was so distracted, I put in "Hee" for 35D: "____-haw!" (YEE) and then spent about a minute or so looking for an error when the "Well Done!" screen failed to materialize.
The theme seems a little weak. Is one of the U.S. Opens going on right now? I don't think so, but I could very easily be wrong. This is one of the very rare times, however, where knowing the theme gave me an answer. I had put in USAINBOLT (16A: Jamaican sprinter nicknamed "The Fastest Man on Earth") and USUALFARE (20A: Nothing daring in terms of offerings), so when I came to 37A: PC outlet, I thought briefly of a store, but then realized that it was probably a port instead, and the memory of the two Us gave it to me. I hadn't yet realized that it was "US," but, well, maybe it's better to just think of it as a bunch of words starting with U. That way, you get to add ULEE (43A: Title beekeeper in a 1997 film) and UNRESTS (37D: Turmoils), to the mix.
I am familiar with neither NALA (9A: Simba's best friend in "The Lion King") (a Kimba rip-off, btw), nor ATTAR (10D: Fragrance of roses), but I made a lucky guess. And what the hell is 21D: "The ____ Daba Honeymoon?!?" And lastly, I didn't know that a BOSC pear was a 30A: Winter pear, so that's something I learned. Other than that, it was a rather boring Monday.
- Horace
Monday, October 14, 2013
Sunday, October 13, 2013, Jeff Chen
2:24:35
Taken To Task
Sisyphus and his task are aptly referenced here - aptly! I had to complete this puzzle on my own. Or, more correctly, largely on my own. Horace was out of town and left the puzzle machine with me. Things worked out well for me on Saturday, eventually, but Sunday, not so much. I chipped away at the puzzle all day and into the night during breaks from other projects. I managed to fill in all the squares, but not correctly. As it happened, the answer I thought was wrong, 93D: Actually (INESSE) [who says that?] was right, but a couple of other clues I thought were OK, were not. To wit: 59D: Helen Keller brought the first one to the U.S. (AKITA). While I did have a vague notion in my head about the song Iko, Iko, I do, I do seemed reasonable. I decided AdITA was some kind of machine for people who had difficulty seeing or hearing. Plus, I've never heard of an Akita. Luckily, Horace had, and when he returned he corrected that mistake and fixed up the other problem area over in the high nineties. I had IONe for 95A: Isle where Macbeth is buried (IONA), YAp for 98A: Jaw (YAK), and was quite comfortable with pELELfor 99D: Onetime Krypton resident (KALEL). Horace seemed to know his Kryptonians.
I disliked the many short answers and abbreviations right out of the gate, but found several clues to enjoy. I thought 21A: Name-dropper's word? (NEE) was particularly good, along with 67A: '50s duds (EDSELS) and 92A: Went off? (DIGRESSED). I also loved the answer BEAUT, for 90A: Doozy. Plus, I learned two new words, the aforementioned Akita, and xistera (jai alai equipment, apparently).
I didn't love 62A: No longer exists (ISNT), or 111D: Talking-__ (TOS), or 72A: AARP concern (IRA) and their ilk, but I SPOSE (52D: Imagine, informally) they were necessary to fill in around the theme answers.
There are a few nods to Huygens in here as well, including 38A: Whistle-blowers? (LOTHARIOS) andd 35A: Kind of raid (PANTY). Everyone enjoys those.
The moral of this story is, when you have to roll a BOULDER up a hill, and it feels like MISSIONIMPOSSIBLE, get some ALES and some MEATPIE and a friend and put your NOGS together. It'll be RXS (105A: Just what the doc ordered).
Taken To Task
Sisyphus and his task are aptly referenced here - aptly! I had to complete this puzzle on my own. Or, more correctly, largely on my own. Horace was out of town and left the puzzle machine with me. Things worked out well for me on Saturday, eventually, but Sunday, not so much. I chipped away at the puzzle all day and into the night during breaks from other projects. I managed to fill in all the squares, but not correctly. As it happened, the answer I thought was wrong, 93D: Actually (INESSE) [who says that?] was right, but a couple of other clues I thought were OK, were not. To wit: 59D: Helen Keller brought the first one to the U.S. (AKITA). While I did have a vague notion in my head about the song Iko, Iko, I do, I do seemed reasonable. I decided AdITA was some kind of machine for people who had difficulty seeing or hearing. Plus, I've never heard of an Akita. Luckily, Horace had, and when he returned he corrected that mistake and fixed up the other problem area over in the high nineties. I had IONe for 95A: Isle where Macbeth is buried (IONA), YAp for 98A: Jaw (YAK), and was quite comfortable with pELELfor 99D: Onetime Krypton resident (KALEL). Horace seemed to know his Kryptonians.
I disliked the many short answers and abbreviations right out of the gate, but found several clues to enjoy. I thought 21A: Name-dropper's word? (NEE) was particularly good, along with 67A: '50s duds (EDSELS) and 92A: Went off? (DIGRESSED). I also loved the answer BEAUT, for 90A: Doozy. Plus, I learned two new words, the aforementioned Akita, and xistera (jai alai equipment, apparently).
I didn't love 62A: No longer exists (ISNT), or 111D: Talking-__ (TOS), or 72A: AARP concern (IRA) and their ilk, but I SPOSE (52D: Imagine, informally) they were necessary to fill in around the theme answers.
There are a few nods to Huygens in here as well, including 38A: Whistle-blowers? (LOTHARIOS) andd 35A: Kind of raid (PANTY). Everyone enjoys those.
The moral of this story is, when you have to roll a BOULDER up a hill, and it feels like MISSIONIMPOSSIBLE, get some ALES and some MEATPIE and a friend and put your NOGS together. It'll be RXS (105A: Just what the doc ordered).
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Saturday, October 12, 2013, John Farmer
53:33
Well, I was one last-look-at-the-puzzle away from a DNF over here. In fact, I had just written to Horace to say that short of a brain-wave miracle, I was going to have to concede defeat. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, brain-wave miracles do happen!
Initially, we crushed this puzzle. Horace made the first pass and completed a lot of it, then passed it to me to be charitable rather than because he needed help. I filled in most of the rest, except for a little problem spot in the NE (that's the upper left, right?) If you're keeping track at home, we have now completed 99% of the puzzle in 23 minutes. You may note a much higher number above where we write the completion time. The spot where three unknowns came together cost us 30 minutes. We had no knowledge of the following: 7D: "Criminal Minds" agent with an I.Q. of 187 (REID); 8D Singer of the #1 single "Try Again," 2000 (AALIYAH); and 24A: San __, Calif. (border town opposite Tijuana) (YSIDRO). I can only hope our fellow solvers have either watched more TV than we have, or traveled to sunny, southern CA. I won't wish that anyone has heard the song because judging by the song's title and the spelling of the singer's name, I don't think it will be anyone's cup of tea. OK, maybe I'm still a little bitter about the two As, and what seemed like, for a very long time, two Is. We had iSIDRO for 24A, but when I looked at it one more time, I thought to myself, could that be spelled with a Y? The answer is yes, yes it can. Okay, that's probably enough about this win that was pulled from the fire. On to other parts.
Liked:
96A: Sci-fi battle site (DEATHSTAR)
10D: Vacancy clause? (NOBODYSHOME)
13D: One in a Kindergarten? (EINE) - I thought it could also have been EINs
37D: Shade that fades (TAN)
Disliked:
10A: Body parts often targeted by masseurs (NAPES)
16A: Hatch in the upper house (ORRIN) - Ha!
36A: Pens for tablets (STYLI) - too recherche
1D: Beats at the buzzer, maybe (NIPS) - maybe not
11D: Like the crowd at a campaign rally (AROAR)
I could go on, but suffice to say that Owen Wilson's character in "Midnight in Paris," (GIL), the Jackson/Kingsley film scripted by Harold Pinter (TURTLEDIARY), and Molly Bloom's soliloquy were 'gettable' but are not in my wheelhouse
There was also some nice Huygens material in here:
15A: (INTHEREAR)
2D: (ANAL)
~Frannie
Well, I was one last-look-at-the-puzzle away from a DNF over here. In fact, I had just written to Horace to say that short of a brain-wave miracle, I was going to have to concede defeat. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, brain-wave miracles do happen!
Initially, we crushed this puzzle. Horace made the first pass and completed a lot of it, then passed it to me to be charitable rather than because he needed help. I filled in most of the rest, except for a little problem spot in the NE (that's the upper left, right?) If you're keeping track at home, we have now completed 99% of the puzzle in 23 minutes. You may note a much higher number above where we write the completion time. The spot where three unknowns came together cost us 30 minutes. We had no knowledge of the following: 7D: "Criminal Minds" agent with an I.Q. of 187 (REID); 8D Singer of the #1 single "Try Again," 2000 (AALIYAH); and 24A: San __, Calif. (border town opposite Tijuana) (YSIDRO). I can only hope our fellow solvers have either watched more TV than we have, or traveled to sunny, southern CA. I won't wish that anyone has heard the song because judging by the song's title and the spelling of the singer's name, I don't think it will be anyone's cup of tea. OK, maybe I'm still a little bitter about the two As, and what seemed like, for a very long time, two Is. We had iSIDRO for 24A, but when I looked at it one more time, I thought to myself, could that be spelled with a Y? The answer is yes, yes it can. Okay, that's probably enough about this win that was pulled from the fire. On to other parts.
Liked:
96A: Sci-fi battle site (DEATHSTAR)
10D: Vacancy clause? (NOBODYSHOME)
13D: One in a Kindergarten? (EINE) - I thought it could also have been EINs
37D: Shade that fades (TAN)
Disliked:
10A: Body parts often targeted by masseurs (NAPES)
16A: Hatch in the upper house (ORRIN) - Ha!
36A: Pens for tablets (STYLI) - too recherche
1D: Beats at the buzzer, maybe (NIPS) - maybe not
11D: Like the crowd at a campaign rally (AROAR)
I could go on, but suffice to say that Owen Wilson's character in "Midnight in Paris," (GIL), the Jackson/Kingsley film scripted by Harold Pinter (TURTLEDIARY), and Molly Bloom's soliloquy were 'gettable' but are not in my wheelhouse
There was also some nice Huygens material in here:
15A: (INTHEREAR)
2D: (ANAL)
~Frannie
Friday, October 11, 2013
Friday, October 11, 2013, Peter A. Collins
0:46:37
A very enjoyable Friday. We finished it quicker than yesterday's, but it felt plenty tricky. I surprised myself by putting in FAWN (1A: Forest newcomer), immediately, and I put in ABBA (5A: Group whose last Top 40 hit was "When All Is Said and Done") because the group is often in the grid, and the song rang a faint, distant bell, but other things, like LASSO (28D: Stockholder) (!!), took a little more time. And there were some things like PSEUD (27D: False start?) and PISAN (35A: Fibonacci, notably), that just seemed so, so "late week clue." I can't really hate them, but I don't love them. And speaking of "late week clues," howzabout 67A: Court suspensions (NETS)? Now that's a good one! And what about 10D: Were present? (ARE). Very nice.
As a Bostonian, I enjoyed seeing ESPO (36A: Hockey Hall of Fame nickname) in the grid, and 43A: Papa ____ (Northeast pizza chain) was another nice nod to the region. I thought that, being the more musical of the pair, I would somehow figure out 40A: Stat. for Re, La or Ti, but no, it was Frannie, the more left-brained one, who got ATNO. Very nice deception, that. And speaking of electron shells (oh wait, that was yesterday, with Oxygen), I loved the clue for PIES (50A: They have edible shells). It reminded me of that clue a while back "It's under the lower crust" for "pie tin."
The double "vein" clues were nice, with the latter, 18D: They may be used around veins (TRAMS) being the better clue/answer pair. The double "sense" clues... meh. And of the double "revolving feature" clues, I liked the second one better (47D: Revolving features? (VEES)), even though they got me AGAIN!
My favorite 15 was 59A: Universal query? (WHERESTHEREMOTE). That's really very good. But ENOTE (32D: Cybermemo)? E-nope. Nice trivia, though, with 54D: Day of the week of Jul. 4, 1776.
We quite enjoyed this offering from Mr. Collins. Good grid.
- Horace
p.s. I think it's a sign that I've been doing a lot of crosswords lately that I figured out CWTS (51D: 1/20 tons: Abbr.) without any difficulty.
A very enjoyable Friday. We finished it quicker than yesterday's, but it felt plenty tricky. I surprised myself by putting in FAWN (1A: Forest newcomer), immediately, and I put in ABBA (5A: Group whose last Top 40 hit was "When All Is Said and Done") because the group is often in the grid, and the song rang a faint, distant bell, but other things, like LASSO (28D: Stockholder) (!!), took a little more time. And there were some things like PSEUD (27D: False start?) and PISAN (35A: Fibonacci, notably), that just seemed so, so "late week clue." I can't really hate them, but I don't love them. And speaking of "late week clues," howzabout 67A: Court suspensions (NETS)? Now that's a good one! And what about 10D: Were present? (ARE). Very nice.
As a Bostonian, I enjoyed seeing ESPO (36A: Hockey Hall of Fame nickname) in the grid, and 43A: Papa ____ (Northeast pizza chain) was another nice nod to the region. I thought that, being the more musical of the pair, I would somehow figure out 40A: Stat. for Re, La or Ti, but no, it was Frannie, the more left-brained one, who got ATNO. Very nice deception, that. And speaking of electron shells (oh wait, that was yesterday, with Oxygen), I loved the clue for PIES (50A: They have edible shells). It reminded me of that clue a while back "It's under the lower crust" for "pie tin."
The double "vein" clues were nice, with the latter, 18D: They may be used around veins (TRAMS) being the better clue/answer pair. The double "sense" clues... meh. And of the double "revolving feature" clues, I liked the second one better (47D: Revolving features? (VEES)), even though they got me AGAIN!
My favorite 15 was 59A: Universal query? (WHERESTHEREMOTE). That's really very good. But ENOTE (32D: Cybermemo)? E-nope. Nice trivia, though, with 54D: Day of the week of Jul. 4, 1776.
We quite enjoyed this offering from Mr. Collins. Good grid.
- Horace
p.s. I think it's a sign that I've been doing a lot of crosswords lately that I figured out CWTS (51D: 1/20 tons: Abbr.) without any difficulty.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Thursday, October 10, 2013, Jeffrey Wechsler
0:54:06
Whew! That middle took us quite a while, but it was finally the combination of [SUN]YATSEN (36D: Revered Chinese figure) (Thank goodness Frannie has been reading Pearl S. Buck!) and [THU]CYDIDES (37D: Athenian general who wrote "History of the Peloponnesian War") (Thank goodness we're both such nerds!) that finally did it for us. We thought of the latter first, but when we had everything but the first letter for the first one, and it just had to be "Sun," well, then the rest of the puzzle flew by like a short work-week. The last, REMAIN[SAT] (15D: Doesn't leave) is, by far, the weakest of the bunch, but the rest are so far above it that no sour taste is left.
The rest of the fill is mostly solid, with some very good and some less-than-good. Loved 31D: Some keep waiting for them (TIPS), and 40D: Nonspeaking role on "CSI" (DEADBODY) was very nice. I yelled out "They got me AGAIN!" after putting in TAU (27D: Leader of ancient Troy?). When, oh when, will I be prepared for those?!
Frannie took issue with VARIATION (25A: Basic process of genetics), calling it a "result" and not a "process," but I think that it could be seen the other way, too. I mean, the imperfections inherent in the DNA system lead to variation, and it is through variation and adaption that gene mutations are carried on. Still, the wording is not perfect. Neither is it perfect, I don't think, in the ARE[WED]ONE (26D: "Anything else that you require?") clue. It seems that the tone of the two statements is too disparate. The clue seems polite, reverential even, and the answer is crude and rude.
Still, overall, it was a good Thursday challenge.
- Horace
Whew! That middle took us quite a while, but it was finally the combination of [SUN]YATSEN (36D: Revered Chinese figure) (Thank goodness Frannie has been reading Pearl S. Buck!) and [THU]CYDIDES (37D: Athenian general who wrote "History of the Peloponnesian War") (Thank goodness we're both such nerds!) that finally did it for us. We thought of the latter first, but when we had everything but the first letter for the first one, and it just had to be "Sun," well, then the rest of the puzzle flew by like a short work-week. The last, REMAIN[SAT] (15D: Doesn't leave) is, by far, the weakest of the bunch, but the rest are so far above it that no sour taste is left.
The rest of the fill is mostly solid, with some very good and some less-than-good. Loved 31D: Some keep waiting for them (TIPS), and 40D: Nonspeaking role on "CSI" (DEADBODY) was very nice. I yelled out "They got me AGAIN!" after putting in TAU (27D: Leader of ancient Troy?). When, oh when, will I be prepared for those?!
Frannie took issue with VARIATION (25A: Basic process of genetics), calling it a "result" and not a "process," but I think that it could be seen the other way, too. I mean, the imperfections inherent in the DNA system lead to variation, and it is through variation and adaption that gene mutations are carried on. Still, the wording is not perfect. Neither is it perfect, I don't think, in the ARE[WED]ONE (26D: "Anything else that you require?") clue. It seems that the tone of the two statements is too disparate. The clue seems polite, reverential even, and the answer is crude and rude.
Still, overall, it was a good Thursday challenge.
- Horace
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Wednesday, October 9, 2013, Jason Flinn
0:31:18
If you are familiar with 42A: Author Philip K. ____ (DICK), you might well have breezed through this grid, since no fewer than 64 out of 191 letters are theme-related. If, however, like us, the name is known, but the titles only started to look familiar, or make sense, when you could see 90 or 95 percent of them, well, it might have taken you a little longer than Wednesdays usually do. (see above)
All of that aside, however, any grid that starts with RADS (1A: Exposure units), CAPED (5A: Like many a superhero), and PSST (10A: Cheater's sound, maybe), is going to be fighting an uphill battle with my affection. It doesn't really get a whole lot better, either, with ESAU, IVANI (what did I just say yesterday?... well, I guess, then, I can't complain about this one), and ABLEST. Also, UNIE (60A: Together, in Toulouse) is weak. It's the feminine form of the adjective, and if you're just using the word generally, it would be in the masculine form. Oh, and let's not forget REPEN (64A: Put back in the fold. And I won't even start on the Downs...
On the bright side, ERUPT (27A: Go ballistic) and PIGOUT (51A: Eat, eat, eat) were both nice, and ADULT (43A: XXX) is nice "Huygens material." COMMIE (23A: Cold war foe, slangily) was ok, too.
And that's about it for the good stuff.
- Horace
If you are familiar with 42A: Author Philip K. ____ (DICK), you might well have breezed through this grid, since no fewer than 64 out of 191 letters are theme-related. If, however, like us, the name is known, but the titles only started to look familiar, or make sense, when you could see 90 or 95 percent of them, well, it might have taken you a little longer than Wednesdays usually do. (see above)
All of that aside, however, any grid that starts with RADS (1A: Exposure units), CAPED (5A: Like many a superhero), and PSST (10A: Cheater's sound, maybe), is going to be fighting an uphill battle with my affection. It doesn't really get a whole lot better, either, with ESAU, IVANI (what did I just say yesterday?... well, I guess, then, I can't complain about this one), and ABLEST. Also, UNIE (60A: Together, in Toulouse) is weak. It's the feminine form of the adjective, and if you're just using the word generally, it would be in the masculine form. Oh, and let's not forget REPEN (64A: Put back in the fold. And I won't even start on the Downs...
On the bright side, ERUPT (27A: Go ballistic) and PIGOUT (51A: Eat, eat, eat) were both nice, and ADULT (43A: XXX) is nice "Huygens material." COMMIE (23A: Cold war foe, slangily) was ok, too.
And that's about it for the good stuff.
- Horace
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Tuesday, October 8, 2013, Tim Croce
0:14:07
HEYHEYHEY (64D: With 64-Down and 64-Down, Fat Albert's catchphrase) I liked it!
It's a bit of a silly theme, but I really enjoyed it. Many of the theme answers made me smile, and there were a ton of them. I count 16! Is that a record?
There was a little weirdness in the fill, with ARTI (16A: Introductory drawing class) (But I don't mind, really, when an I or a V, say, serves double duty), ATTA (39A: Lead-in to girl), and TBTEST (33A: Med. exam involving an injection into the forearm), and I don't really like WEEUNS (42A: Tots), but, well, I'm giving it all a pass.
I liked the simplicity of 19A: Not found (LOST), 45A: & (AND), and 20A: Play in the N.H.L. (SKATE), and the directness of 8D: "Green thumb" or "purple prose" (IDIOM). I'm sure Huygens will enjoy mention of the COSMOS (9D: Universe), and I find it reassuring that after the napalming on Saturday, DRESDEN is now the 10D: German city rebuilt after W.W. II.
Very fine Tuesday.
- Horace
HEYHEYHEY (64D: With 64-Down and 64-Down, Fat Albert's catchphrase) I liked it!
It's a bit of a silly theme, but I really enjoyed it. Many of the theme answers made me smile, and there were a ton of them. I count 16! Is that a record?
There was a little weirdness in the fill, with ARTI (16A: Introductory drawing class) (But I don't mind, really, when an I or a V, say, serves double duty), ATTA (39A: Lead-in to girl), and TBTEST (33A: Med. exam involving an injection into the forearm), and I don't really like WEEUNS (42A: Tots), but, well, I'm giving it all a pass.
I liked the simplicity of 19A: Not found (LOST), 45A: & (AND), and 20A: Play in the N.H.L. (SKATE), and the directness of 8D: "Green thumb" or "purple prose" (IDIOM). I'm sure Huygens will enjoy mention of the COSMOS (9D: Universe), and I find it reassuring that after the napalming on Saturday, DRESDEN is now the 10D: German city rebuilt after W.W. II.
Very fine Tuesday.
- Horace
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