Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium
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THEME:"Frame Job"— theme answers are just ... phrases. But they have "frames" (circled squares, some on one side of the answer, some on the other) that spell out various "jobs":
Theme answers:
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There are some delightful moments in this puzzle. I just finished a puzzle where I (my co-constructor, actually) clued ECHO via the Amazon product, but seeing it here in its full-name glory is pretty impressive, however crassly commercial (47D: Voice-controlled device from the world's largest online retailer = AMAZON ECHO). CLEAR AS MUD was wonderful as well as tricky—I was like, "Why is this answer for [Opaque] beginning with CLEAR when that is the *opposite* of [Opaque]...?" Nice trickery. And the grid overall felt pretty clean. I didn't wince much at all. Anything short and gunky is pretty isolated and innocuous. The theme, however, felt really, really thin, and it didn't offer any pleasure, solving-wise. That is, there were no aha moments, no discoveries. I could see that words were forming in the circled squares, but the fact that they were "jobs" didn't register. And even if it had, I don't know what kind of thrill it would've imparted. The jobs are so random, so unconnected and dissociated from ... well, anything. I mean, ACTUARY!? That is a job, sure, but if I had to list a hundred jobs, I don't think that one would come up. The others seem reasonably common; ACTUARY feels like it belongs to a completely different universe. I thought at first the jobs in question would have something to do with "frames." Me: "Do actuaries use frames ... I know they use tables ..." So the theme was a big shrug.
Gotta go back on Halloween candy-distribution detail. Kids waited til later to come out this year, possibly because of the double-whammy night-extender of No School Tomorrow and Daylight Saving Time tomorrow. Anyway, things sound pretty ... active ... downstairs. I'll see you all later.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium
THEME:"Frame Job"— theme answers are just ... phrases. But they have "frames" (circled squares, some on one side of the answer, some on the other) that spell out various "jobs":
Theme answers:
- ANIMAL SANCTUARY (23A: No-hunting zone)
- BARBARA BOXER (32A: Longtime California senator)
- PLATE NUMBER (55A: Info on a parking ticket)
- MAIL FRAUD (58A: Something that doesn't follow the letter of the law?)
- COMIC BOOK (77A: It contains a lot of balloons) [great clue]
- PRIOR ARREST (80A: Rap sheet entry)
- CLEAN AND JERK (97A: Weightlifting technique)
- COPA CABANA BEACH (115A: Brazilian tourist destination)
nounnoun: sora; plural noun: soras; noun: sora crake; plural noun: sora crakes; noun: sora rail; plural noun: sora rails; noun: rail; plural noun: rails; noun: rail crake; plural noun: rail crakes
• • •
Gotta go back on Halloween candy-distribution detail. Kids waited til later to come out this year, possibly because of the double-whammy night-extender of No School Tomorrow and Daylight Saving Time tomorrow. Anyway, things sound pretty ... active ... downstairs. I'll see you all later.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]