Thursday, January 31, 2019, Peter A. Collins

0:15:42

A super-sized (16x15) puzzle today from veteran constructor, Peter A. Collins. I love the trick today of dropping in the "Palindromic number" (212) and then using the numerals in one of the thematic answers - H2OSBOILINGPOINT, and two non-themers. The inclusion, in the theme clues of a degree symbol and a slash might not have been strictly necessary, but I guess it helped me to solve the puzzle more quickly. In fact, there was kind of a "math-y" feel to a few other clues as well, like 57D: Teaser that may include pluses and minuses (REBUS) and 59D: Summation symbol, in math (SIGMA), and, I suppose, even 21A: Number between cinque and sette (SEI) and 46A: Like 2001 (ODD) (Tricky!), but that's to be expected from a math teacher.

I very much enjoyed 1A: Intelligible (COHERENT), 23A: Exploit (DEED) (which I read with the wrong emphasis for quite some time), 47A: Relative whose name sounds like a city in France (NIECE) (Hah!), and SEMINUDE (73A: Like many classical statues). And who doesn't love A1SAUCE?

Some of the entries may have been a tad OLDSCHOOL, like APOLOGIA (15A: Formal defense), EISNER (52D: Former Disney exec Michael), ANI (20A: Tropical black bird) (Classic!), and BRANDI (54D: Soccer star Chastain), but nothing too musty.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. A fine start to The Turn!

- Horace

Wednesday, January 30, 2019, Emily Carroll

0:09:02 (F.W.O.E.)

This was a tough Wednesday solve for Yours Truly. AREPAS (8D: South American corn cakes) are not a thing I'm familiar with, although I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy them, because who doesn't like a corn cake? And LAPLATA crossing ALI (1A: "Aladdin" prince) was my undoing. The former rings a faint bell now that I see it, but I was not expecting the article at the beginning, so I guessed R, and then a few other letters, before getting the L. So is that more than one error? Well... no, because if it were actually judged at a tournament, it's still just the one square that's incorrect.

Anywhoo, LAPLATA and I will now become OLDFOES. Maybe that will help me to remember it. :)

The theme today is an odd one, which I will sum up as "two-word names for things where the first word is a fruit and the second word can be read as a verb that means 'to go away,' with the result being that the fruit disappears leaving you FRUITLESS." Nothing could be simpler! I guess they are suggesting that "peels" should be understood as "peels off?" Maybe?

I was surprised - in a good way - by some non-theme answers, like FRATROW (38D: Home to many Greeks, informally), ACROBAT (1D: One going head over heels?), and ATOM (27A: Something divided in W.W. II). KOOL (45A: Noted 1970s-'80s Gang leader?), too, was one that took all the crosses. That's the band KOOL and the Gang. Wow. Nice one.

Overall, the theme certainly is different, and I should have taken the time to figure out LAPLATA and ALI... is that ALI Baba? I guess maybe I'll have to watch Aladdin again... I would have preferred a little less obscure material - TSTRAP, BANC, OHO (am I the only person who doesn't believe this is a real expression?) - but then there was some nice long fill too - BISTROS, RATRACE, BRITCOM, SPREADOUT - so I'll give it the ol' "it was fine."

How'd you like it?

- Horace

Tuesday, January 29, 2019, Benjamin Kramer

0:06:34

I like this uncommon yet straightforward theme of service, bump, set, and spike - the elements of a VOLLEYBALL point. I wouldn't have been able to tell you that "bump" was an actual term in the sport, but it is immediately recognizable as something that makes sense. And, like yesterday, the oddest element of the theme is found in the least common "container," COLBERTBUMP. But again, that, too, is understandable.

Who, after seeing this scene, hasn't thought of it again (and again) when viewing our own single moon?

So between the DQED (1A: Barred from competition, briefly) and ETAS (65A: Column on a flight board, for short), we find tasty answers like DEERMEAT, PAELLA, and QUINOA. EXILES and ENSLAVED are unfortunate to think about, but maybe they can ESCAPE via Charles DEGAULLE (11D: Airport named for a president), EZPASS (3D: Toll method on the New Jersey Turnpike) or maybe even by way of things with a ROTOR or KEELS to where they have to use an UMLAUT or drink OUZO or EVIAN, or to where someone puts a LEI around their neck when they land...

This Friday is my "Poker Night," and although we don't play HIGHLOW very much, it has crept into the "Dealer's Choice" format once or twice. Here's hoping I keep my chip pile in the "natural number" (POS) realm.

I enjoyed this one - plenty of good material, and just a smattering of ANET, ANA, and REC.

- Horace

Monday, January 28, 2019, Thomas Van Geel

5:19 (F.W.O.E.)

I loved seeing FREECYCLING (17A: Giving away unwanted items rather than trashing them) in the grid today. Frannie and I are big freecyclers, having both given and gotten items this way, and I'm glad it's getting its NYTX debut. Hopefully, more people will consider it. And speaking of things "green," you wanna know another alternative to a paper clip? One of these STAPLE-less staplers. I use one every day at work. True story.

The theme, I thought, was a little weird. Well, one of the theme answers, anyway. I get "free kick" and "drop kick," but what is a "side kick?" Is it just that thing in karate where you kick out to the side? If so, that seems a little weak. I also think the term SIDEHUSTLE itself is a little bit of an outlier... but then, there are probably plenty who have never heard of FREECYCLING, so I guess I'd better watch my step.

[** Ok, it's me again, writing much later. I now realize that they are maybe not talking about a real kick, but a sidekick like in a movie, or a sit-com. Duh... sorry about the rant. It's a perfectly cromulent entry. I was just trying to make it fit perfectly with the other physical kicks.**]

OLIVETTI (40D: Classic typewriter brand) went right in for this old man, but MANAGERS (41D: Bosses) took quite a few crosses, which is amusing, given that my job description includes the word "manager."

I liked the mention of Holden Caulfield in the clue for NARRATOR (I tried to fit in "main character"), and I enjoy any Latin clue, so INESSE (49D: Existing: Lat.) was fun too. My error came at 8-Down. I don't know the Greek alphabet by heart, but I know it's similar to ours, so when I saw 8D: Second letter after upsilon (CHI), I put in pHI, thinking P was close to U... oh well. NIpHE ought to be a word, oughtn't it?

Congratulations to Mr. Van Geel on his debut today.

- Horace

Sunday, January 27, 2019, Randolph Ross

UNEMPLOYMENT LINES

Today's theme answers pair a profession with a pun-like dis- or de- adjective. DISILLUSIONEDMAGICIAN (111A: Unemployed prestidigitator?), for example. Although I don't really agree that it works 100% because his state of employment does not mean that he is no longer able to perform illusions. It just means he isn't being paid for it right now. I suppose that's not the point, though, and, like Colum, I should try to be more upbeat. And yes, I did chuckle at that one, and at DEFILEDMANICURIST, which is cute. Is there a word for these things? They're not exactly Tom Swifties, but they are in the same family. I thought DISTRESSEDHAIRDRESSER was a little confusing, because there is such a thing as "distressed hair," but then you could also parse it as "dis-tressed," and make it kind of work for hair cutting. I also found DISPATCHEDTAILOR wanting, because how many tailors use patches? It could just be my ignorance of the profession, but if I went to get a suitcoat made, I would not expect (or want) it to come with elbow patches. And yes, I guess they could use patches to mend things, but would anyone who actually uses a tailor ever bring in anything to be patched? Oh, I don't know... perhaps I'm just out of my depth here.

OK, that ended up sounding pretty negative. But sometimes that's the way it is with me - especially on a Sunday. I don't think it's any great secret on this blog that I am frequently less happy with a Sunday puzzle than I am with a weekday grid. Maybe it's a mea CULPa situation, or maybe it's just that there's more room on a Sunday for obscurities like BRIGANTINE, NAHA, THIEU, UTAHANS, and even VERITY. And then there's the unwelcome-to-this-Boston-Red-Sox-fan THEBAMBINO. (OK, that one's actually perfectly fine, I'm just on a roll with the complaining so I thought I'd throw it in.)

I had a great deal of difficulty in the small area including 71A: Wall Street order (PUT), 47D: "Brave New World" drug (SOMA) (Incidentally, this is the name that my favorite local coffee shop gave to one of their espresso bean blends), and 54A: Remote figure: Abbr. (VOL). That last one I very much dislike. "Remote figure?" I don't think so. "Remote key," "remote button," "remote command," maybe. "Remote figure?" No.

OK, that's enough complaining from me. This is no way to start my week of reviews. I hope you enjoyed it.

- Horace

p.s. Now's probably not the time for me to ask "MISSME?" :)

Saturday, January 26, 2019, Grant Thackray

8:45 (FWOE)

This is a really great grid layout, with a ton of excellent entries. I broke in with RIBISI, which helped to get OMNI (nice "lead-in" to science), and GASTON, and I was off. The long answers in the top section are all excellent, particularly WORLDBEATERS and GENIEOFTHELAMP. When I had filled in the NE corner, ____MASH was not hard to figure out as an entree to the middle section.

My error came by putting Rca in for RKO. Really, that's just silliness right there. The problem came because when I finished the puzzle, I had corrected the K but not the O. And ITSAMEMARIa somehow seemed okay, because maybe Mario said it to his female friend? No? Nobody's going to buy that?

Meanwhile, 20D: The guy of your dreams? (SANDMAN) and 22D: Workers making preparations to retire? (PITCREW) are both very nice QMCs. The latter reminds me also of that great clue from a couple of days ago.

The lower half is pretty fine work as well. I particularly enjoyed DEMOCRATICALLY, which is the way I'd like our country to operate more of the time, and 48A: Short cut that bypasses a canal? (CESAREANSECTION) is great (although people who undergo said operation might quibble with the idea that the cut made by the scalpel is all that short).

How about that diagonal row of Bs in the SE corner? BERTHA BASAL BENE BID. BEIT BECCA BARTAB (very nice) BESTILL.

I very much enjoyed this puzzle. But I've got to cut these FWOEs out for the ACPT!

- Colum

Friday, January 25, 2019, Zhouqin Burnikel

8:18

I will start by saying that any grid that has MALAPROP in it is a winner in my book. The term comes from a play by Richard Sheridan, The Rivals, where a character, Mrs. Malaprop, continually misspeaks. For example: "Why, murder's the matter! slaughter's the matter! killing's the matter! - but he can tell you the perpendiculars." There are many more examples, all quite amusing to my taste.

There are some other really nice entries. BADAPPLE is great, as is SWEETPEA. 39A: Upper crust (SOCIETY) is a great clue and answer. Also, 1D: Draft pick (STEIN) is nicely clued.

But I wasn't as impressed by the long answers in the corners. I told myself the other day that I wasn't going to be such a critic in this blog. I've wanted to be as positive as possible, so I will first and foremost go on record by saying this is a well constructed puzzle. I could do without STUPES, which I don't believe is a real word, and the crossing of NEC and COREY was an out and out guess for me, which I lucked out on.

I'll put up with things like that, though, in service of answers full of pizzazz. And today's didn't do it for me. Perhaps others will disagree (and that's what the comments section down below is for! Please, our handfuls of readers, let me know if you think I'm wrong!).

But let's end on an upbeat note. 7D: Arms provider? (ESCORT) is outstanding stuff.

- Colum