0:07:15
The theme is somewhat interesting, and it sure is convenient that the longest name for the left hand and the revealer are both 15 letters long, but this puzzle seemed way too easy for a Wednesday, and a little too full of DARER (57A: Courageous one) (all left hand), ASPIRER, ANAEMIA, ATNO, and ETAL.
I like SCHWAS (5D: Start and end of 3-Down, phonetically), but I never even saw the clue until just now, reviewing the puzzle for this review. And I can't decide whether to love or hate ATHWART (2D: Crosswise). SKIRMISH (9D: Minor battle) is nice, too. And SEAGATE (44D: Channel to the ocean), too, is a good word.
I just didn't love this one as I was doing it, which is too bad, as I review it now, because there really was some nice material. I think it was something about the clueing that turned me against it. Also, our "pigs in blankets" were not WIENERS, they were some kind of ground meat. And the blankets were cabbage leaves. And we had them with raisin sauce. Mmmm..... those were the days.
- Horace
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013, Peter A. Collins
0:19:17
Rolling Stone is a rag, it's pronouncements are meaningless.
Never heard of SEDALIA (70A: Site of the Missouri State Fair), and almost DNF'd in that quadrant, but Frannie saved the day with SAS (65D: Carrier to Oslo) and RIO (67D: Vegas casino).
Enjoyed PERSONA (17A: Who you appear to be), and 28A: Gem of a girl? (OPAL). Is EGGO (19A: Frozen product with blueberry and chocolate chip flavors) still a thing? Sanderson?
- Horace
Rolling Stone is a rag, it's pronouncements are meaningless.
Never heard of SEDALIA (70A: Site of the Missouri State Fair), and almost DNF'd in that quadrant, but Frannie saved the day with SAS (65D: Carrier to Oslo) and RIO (67D: Vegas casino).
Enjoyed PERSONA (17A: Who you appear to be), and 28A: Gem of a girl? (OPAL). Is EGGO (19A: Frozen product with blueberry and chocolate chip flavors) still a thing? Sanderson?
- Horace
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013, Andrea Carla Michaels
0:06:55
I like the body theme just fine, but I wish the last two weren't given the same clue. Usually, I enjoy the similar clues, but when there are four theme answers, I'd like them all to be clued differently. Or, alternatively, they could all have the same clue. But two different and two the same... well, it's not my favorite.
Other things rubbed me the wrong way, too, like IGLU (32D: Eskimo home: Var), ESTOP, ABOW, ACAN, and AJAX... wait, no, that last one is fine.
Seriously, though, there's some nice stuff in here. I liked TORPEDO (45D: Underwater missile), LAPAZ (5A: Bolivian capital), and OLEANNA (41A: Two-character David Mamet play). Even though Mamet's lost his way, politically, he still wrote some good stuff.
I also enjoyed this puzzle because tonight Frannie had PADTHAI (7D: Asian noodle dish with peanuts) and I had SUSHI (48A: Japanese fish dish) for dinner. Seems like it was meant to be.
- Horace
I like the body theme just fine, but I wish the last two weren't given the same clue. Usually, I enjoy the similar clues, but when there are four theme answers, I'd like them all to be clued differently. Or, alternatively, they could all have the same clue. But two different and two the same... well, it's not my favorite.
Other things rubbed me the wrong way, too, like IGLU (32D: Eskimo home: Var), ESTOP, ABOW, ACAN, and AJAX... wait, no, that last one is fine.
Seriously, though, there's some nice stuff in here. I liked TORPEDO (45D: Underwater missile), LAPAZ (5A: Bolivian capital), and OLEANNA (41A: Two-character David Mamet play). Even though Mamet's lost his way, politically, he still wrote some good stuff.
I also enjoyed this puzzle because tonight Frannie had PADTHAI (7D: Asian noodle dish with peanuts) and I had SUSHI (48A: Japanese fish dish) for dinner. Seems like it was meant to be.
- Horace
Sunday, July 28, 2013, Andrew Reynolds
0:49:38
This puzzle confused me a bit. Why, for instance, did they bother to make that progression of circled letters? Is it purely for the visual interest? If so, I don't think it's worth it. And that NW corner is a jumble of oddities. HOHOHO (1A: Holiday cheer) is a nice enough clue - or would be, in December. Same with USOPEN (19A: P.G.A. event played on Father's Day). Interesting, but slightly out of season. And why clue MOMENT (22A: See 36-Across) in that upside-down way? The whole block just set me off on the wrong foot, as you can plainly see.
The puzzle is, however, almost on the right date to celebrate the sesquicentennial of HENRYFORD's birth (5D: Business titan born July 30, 1863). So, that's nice. Lot's of clues referring to other answers, and the like. It also includes nods to more modern commercial enterprises like TEXACO (20A: Company in a 2001 merger with Chevron), and Whole FOODS (45A: Whole ____). Oddly, though, a Ford rival, GMC is also mentioned (50A: GMC truck (SIERRA)).
There were some clever clues, like 105A: Polo ground? (ORIENT), 28A: Short race? (DWARVES), and 29D: Give the silent treatment? (MIME). And I liked the references to other great Americans who died in the decades immediately prior to Ford's birth. NEVERMORE (31A: Opposite of eternally) for Poe, and "55A: Molding material" for Henry CLAY.
And here's a little trivia for you– I wondered whether or not Chuck LORRE (94D: "The Big Bang Theory" co-creator Chuck) was somehow related to Peter Lorre, because that name isn't all that common, and they're both in show business. Guess what? He was born Charles Michael Levine, and changed his name for personal reasons. Peter Lorre, on the other hand, was born Lásló Löwenstein. So, in short, no. They aren't related.
- Horace
p.s. Other bloggers have commented that the circles represent the literal "building" of a Model T on an assembly line, of sorts. Pretty clever, actually. I wish I hadn't been so blinded by indifference and had noticed it on my own!
This puzzle confused me a bit. Why, for instance, did they bother to make that progression of circled letters? Is it purely for the visual interest? If so, I don't think it's worth it. And that NW corner is a jumble of oddities. HOHOHO (1A: Holiday cheer) is a nice enough clue - or would be, in December. Same with USOPEN (19A: P.G.A. event played on Father's Day). Interesting, but slightly out of season. And why clue MOMENT (22A: See 36-Across) in that upside-down way? The whole block just set me off on the wrong foot, as you can plainly see.
The puzzle is, however, almost on the right date to celebrate the sesquicentennial of HENRYFORD's birth (5D: Business titan born July 30, 1863). So, that's nice. Lot's of clues referring to other answers, and the like. It also includes nods to more modern commercial enterprises like TEXACO (20A: Company in a 2001 merger with Chevron), and Whole FOODS (45A: Whole ____). Oddly, though, a Ford rival, GMC is also mentioned (50A: GMC truck (SIERRA)).
There were some clever clues, like 105A: Polo ground? (ORIENT), 28A: Short race? (DWARVES), and 29D: Give the silent treatment? (MIME). And I liked the references to other great Americans who died in the decades immediately prior to Ford's birth. NEVERMORE (31A: Opposite of eternally) for Poe, and "55A: Molding material" for Henry CLAY.
And here's a little trivia for you– I wondered whether or not Chuck LORRE (94D: "The Big Bang Theory" co-creator Chuck) was somehow related to Peter Lorre, because that name isn't all that common, and they're both in show business. Guess what? He was born Charles Michael Levine, and changed his name for personal reasons. Peter Lorre, on the other hand, was born Lásló Löwenstein. So, in short, no. They aren't related.
- Horace
p.s. Other bloggers have commented that the circles represent the literal "building" of a Model T on an assembly line, of sorts. Pretty clever, actually. I wish I hadn't been so blinded by indifference and had noticed it on my own!
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Saturday, July 27, 2013, John Lieb and David Quarfoot
0:34:26
Finished a little fast for a Saturday, perhaps, but this was a decent, interesting grid. Some nice, contemporary fill like, HUGITOUT (40A: Resolve a bromance spat, say), NUFFSAID (32A: "No need to go on"), and PIECEOFWORK (10D: Difficult sort). We would have preferred "Cut class" to SKIPCLASS (64A: Emulate Ferris Bueller), but we still like the Bueller reference.
Our friend Huygens has expressed the opinion that the NYT puzzle is often a little racy, and he shouldn't be disappointed today with SEXTED (23A: Turned on a friend, maybe?) (!), and GSPOT (46D: Sensitive subject?) (and SHAG, if you ignore the clue).
Enjoyed STARKLY (37A: Without embellishment) and PASSE (10A: Out). Had "Le Car" at first where PINTO (58A: 1970s subcompact) belonged (OK, maybe the Le Car was more an '80s thing), and "corpse" went in first instead of the less grotesque CORDON (42A: Crime scene sight).
Some tired crossword standbys made appearances today, too, like SERE, APER, ALOES, and my least favorite today, EERS.
INALL, we enjoyed it, but we expect to be challenged a little more on a Saturday. Now what am I going to do with the rest of the morning? Chores?!
- Horace
Finished a little fast for a Saturday, perhaps, but this was a decent, interesting grid. Some nice, contemporary fill like, HUGITOUT (40A: Resolve a bromance spat, say), NUFFSAID (32A: "No need to go on"), and PIECEOFWORK (10D: Difficult sort). We would have preferred "Cut class" to SKIPCLASS (64A: Emulate Ferris Bueller), but we still like the Bueller reference.
Our friend Huygens has expressed the opinion that the NYT puzzle is often a little racy, and he shouldn't be disappointed today with SEXTED (23A: Turned on a friend, maybe?) (!), and GSPOT (46D: Sensitive subject?) (and SHAG, if you ignore the clue).
Enjoyed STARKLY (37A: Without embellishment) and PASSE (10A: Out). Had "Le Car" at first where PINTO (58A: 1970s subcompact) belonged (OK, maybe the Le Car was more an '80s thing), and "corpse" went in first instead of the less grotesque CORDON (42A: Crime scene sight).
Some tired crossword standbys made appearances today, too, like SERE, APER, ALOES, and my least favorite today, EERS.
INALL, we enjoyed it, but we expect to be challenged a little more on a Saturday. Now what am I going to do with the rest of the morning? Chores?!
- Horace
Friday, July 26, 2013
Friday, July 26, 2013, Brendan Emmett Quigley
0:41:52
In a word, uneven. There was some very nice fill, WALLACESTEVENS (4D: 1955 Pulitzer-winning poet), AMBROSIA (18A: Olympians' food), and LOSALAMOS (31D: Literally, "the cottonwoods") were all nice, but there was too much RENAIL (14A: Fix, in carpentry), ERODENT (41D: Tending to wear away) (really?), and IDEATE (60A: Philosophize, say) for the two of us to fully enjoy it.
More good stuff - ERIECANAL (12D: Construction project that began in Rome), very nicely clued. BANKSY (58A: Noted graffiti artist), any mention of Banksy is good. SEAOTTER (20A: Animal that catches fish with its forepaws), any mention of sea otters is also good. Even the word "forepaws" is cute, isn't it? They're also one of the softest creatures alive. They were almost hunted out of existence for their pelts, and when Frannie got to feel a pelt out in California one time, it's said she was heard to remark "I'd club one to death myself to get a piece of this." [Frannie would never actually hurt an animal. - Ed.]
ABBAEBAN (9D: Diplomat who wrote "The Tide of Nationalism") is, to me, similar to the name Atom Egoyan, which appeared on July 6th. Seeing it in the grid, I was unsure how to parse it into distinct parts. The puzzle constructor on that day commented on this blog to help me out. I'm hoping someone does the same today. (Brendan? Wanna meet at Crema to talk it over? You can find me there most Wednesdays around 1:00, doing your DIG puzzle!)
This puzzle really did have a lot of good stuff in it, but the weaknesses detracted from the enjoyment. I have come to expect more from BEQ, one of my favorite constructors.
- Horace
In a word, uneven. There was some very nice fill, WALLACESTEVENS (4D: 1955 Pulitzer-winning poet), AMBROSIA (18A: Olympians' food), and LOSALAMOS (31D: Literally, "the cottonwoods") were all nice, but there was too much RENAIL (14A: Fix, in carpentry), ERODENT (41D: Tending to wear away) (really?), and IDEATE (60A: Philosophize, say) for the two of us to fully enjoy it.
More good stuff - ERIECANAL (12D: Construction project that began in Rome), very nicely clued. BANKSY (58A: Noted graffiti artist), any mention of Banksy is good. SEAOTTER (20A: Animal that catches fish with its forepaws), any mention of sea otters is also good. Even the word "forepaws" is cute, isn't it? They're also one of the softest creatures alive. They were almost hunted out of existence for their pelts, and when Frannie got to feel a pelt out in California one time, it's said she was heard to remark "I'd club one to death myself to get a piece of this." [Frannie would never actually hurt an animal. - Ed.]
ABBAEBAN (9D: Diplomat who wrote "The Tide of Nationalism") is, to me, similar to the name Atom Egoyan, which appeared on July 6th. Seeing it in the grid, I was unsure how to parse it into distinct parts. The puzzle constructor on that day commented on this blog to help me out. I'm hoping someone does the same today. (Brendan? Wanna meet at Crema to talk it over? You can find me there most Wednesdays around 1:00, doing your DIG puzzle!)
This puzzle really did have a lot of good stuff in it, but the weaknesses detracted from the enjoyment. I have come to expect more from BEQ, one of my favorite constructors.
- Horace
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013, Patrick Blindauer
0:52:00
Wow! When I realized what was going on in this grid I almost couldn't believe it. I haven't made any puzzles yet, so I don't know for sure how tough something like this would be, but it sure impressed me.
Here's how our solve went. The middle fell fairly easily, and the revealer, DOUBLEFEATURE (14D: Drive-in theater draw... with a literal hint to 4- and 21-Down), seemed straightforward enough. Almost too straightforward. I thought, well, the other two long clues will be movies, and it'll be like a double feature. I don't know many Jack Lemmon movies, but I figured "The Odd Couple" was a good bet, and it fit, so in it went. Sinatra, well, let's see, what'd he win that oscar for? "From Here to Eternity?" Too long...
So over the puzzle went to the old movie buff, Frannie. I told her I thought something was fishy, because I couldn't verify "The Odd Couple" with much, and I had absolutely nothing over on the Sinatra side. Using another old movie reference, Frannie broke it. Well, we did, but she started it. She said that 22A: Captain von ____ (musical role) just had to be TRAPP, and suggested THEAPARTMENT as another possible Lemmon movie. (Who knew?) Right then I realized what was happening, and I had her put double Ps into that square. I then also felt confident enough to put in KAR[EN] for 51A: ____ Carpenter. Once freed up to lengthen ( - and by the way, 1A: One of the three dimensions (LEN[GT]H) was devious, because both "width" and "depth" fit in without the rebus!) all the answers, we eventually had enough to guess GRUMPYOLDMEN.
On the East side, it was all up to Frannie, because I couldn't come up with any other Sinatra roles. One of the first she thought of was OCEANSELEVEN, which turned out to be perfect, because it was the first of the two, and entering the rebuses after that was easier than if we had had to erase first letter every time. Okay, maybe that comment is just for electronic solvers. Nevermind if you solve on paper. And if you do, I pity you. I can't imagine the mess that would have arisen from me putting in "The Odd Couple" in pen. Egad! What would Felix have said?
Anyway, this was fantastic. One of the best of the year, in my opinion. Sure, the NW had LBS, EEO (?) and NAS, but I'm giving a LOT of leeway to Mr. Blindauer for this trick. And really, much of the rest was also interesting and/or funny. How 'bout that clue for STROHS (45D: Brew whose name is an article of clothing when read backward)?! I almost think he, too, must have spent time in Wisconsin in a campus bar, where such an insight might just come to you after drinking that cheap beer. And I loved 55D: You may be fooled at its beginning (APRIL). There's bonus fill, too, with OSCARS (48D: Star-studded show, with "the").
Great puzzle.
- Horace
Wow! When I realized what was going on in this grid I almost couldn't believe it. I haven't made any puzzles yet, so I don't know for sure how tough something like this would be, but it sure impressed me.
Here's how our solve went. The middle fell fairly easily, and the revealer, DOUBLEFEATURE (14D: Drive-in theater draw... with a literal hint to 4- and 21-Down), seemed straightforward enough. Almost too straightforward. I thought, well, the other two long clues will be movies, and it'll be like a double feature. I don't know many Jack Lemmon movies, but I figured "The Odd Couple" was a good bet, and it fit, so in it went. Sinatra, well, let's see, what'd he win that oscar for? "From Here to Eternity?" Too long...
So over the puzzle went to the old movie buff, Frannie. I told her I thought something was fishy, because I couldn't verify "The Odd Couple" with much, and I had absolutely nothing over on the Sinatra side. Using another old movie reference, Frannie broke it. Well, we did, but she started it. She said that 22A: Captain von ____ (musical role) just had to be TRAPP, and suggested THEAPARTMENT as another possible Lemmon movie. (Who knew?) Right then I realized what was happening, and I had her put double Ps into that square. I then also felt confident enough to put in KAR[EN] for 51A: ____ Carpenter. Once freed up to lengthen ( - and by the way, 1A: One of the three dimensions (LEN[GT]H) was devious, because both "width" and "depth" fit in without the rebus!) all the answers, we eventually had enough to guess GRUMPYOLDMEN.
On the East side, it was all up to Frannie, because I couldn't come up with any other Sinatra roles. One of the first she thought of was OCEANSELEVEN, which turned out to be perfect, because it was the first of the two, and entering the rebuses after that was easier than if we had had to erase first letter every time. Okay, maybe that comment is just for electronic solvers. Nevermind if you solve on paper. And if you do, I pity you. I can't imagine the mess that would have arisen from me putting in "The Odd Couple" in pen. Egad! What would Felix have said?
Anyway, this was fantastic. One of the best of the year, in my opinion. Sure, the NW had LBS, EEO (?) and NAS, but I'm giving a LOT of leeway to Mr. Blindauer for this trick. And really, much of the rest was also interesting and/or funny. How 'bout that clue for STROHS (45D: Brew whose name is an article of clothing when read backward)?! I almost think he, too, must have spent time in Wisconsin in a campus bar, where such an insight might just come to you after drinking that cheap beer. And I loved 55D: You may be fooled at its beginning (APRIL). There's bonus fill, too, with OSCARS (48D: Star-studded show, with "the").
Great puzzle.
- Horace
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