Constructor:Ian Livengood
Relative difficulty:Medium
![]()
THEME:"Moral Thinking"— "-al" sound added to familiar phrases; wackiness follows:
Theme answers:
![]()
Word of the Day:WIDOW(63A: Typographical no-no) —
![]()
Add-a-sound. This type of thing has to be perfectly executed for me to enjoy it, and this one just wasn't. There was an arbitrariness and pointlessness to this that made it seem ... listless. Like a placeholder. You know those photos that come *with* the frames? The ones that *look* like family photos and certainly could play them on TV, but that don't move you in any way because they're clearly not just not *your* family—they're not anybody's family? So that's about the level at which this puzzle hit me, emotionally. It's like a plausible facsimile of a puzzle. A puzzle you'd see in an acid reflux medication ad. Is that a crossword? Sure looks like one? Huh, OK, what were we talking about? Oh, right, Prilosec. Add-a-WHATEVER themes must be tight! I mean, for pete's sake, they should at least be tight enough to result in a meaningful title. "Moral Thinking"??? So ... "More '-al' Thinking?" Is that it? But ... "More Thinking" is not anything. What a mess. "Gimme Moral"! "Moral Bounce to the Ounce!""... Baby One Moral Time!" Something!
Was weirdly slow to start, and then picked up speed quite a bit toward the middle and end. Tried to get cute and fill in 5A: Means of going down a 36-Down without looking at 36-Down, which caused problems (shocker) at both 5-Across and 36-Down. I put in RAMP at 5A, and then later, when I got it changed to RAFT, I put in RIVER at 36-Down. I'd say 1/3 of the puzzle's total resistance came from my total mishandling of this cross-reference situation. Slowest section was WNW, where SNIPER wouldn't come (33A: Good shot?), and where AMY'S really wanted to be EDY'S (44A: ___ Kitchen (frozen food brand)), and apparently I don't know what "onomastics" means, ugh (34D: Focus of onomastics (NAMES)). Had a few issues in the NE too, where SEDATE preceded SERENE (29A: Unruffled), DOLTS preceded DODOS (13A: Meatheads), and SOLELY was toughly clued at 17D: 100%. Really enjoyed both GAG ORDER (77D: It stops talking) and COLD CALL (80D: Telemarketer's action), particularly the former, as the clue *and* answer are first-rate. Overall grid quality is decent, actually, but the theme's just a dud for me.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Relative difficulty:Medium
THEME:"Moral Thinking"— "-al" sound added to familiar phrases; wackiness follows:
Theme answers:
- THE OLD GRAY MERYL (23A: Actress Streep playing a centenarian?)
- BARTLETT PERIL (31A: Risky business for a compiler of quotations?)
- KODIAK BARREL (52A: Alaskan beer container?)
- MARKET SHERYL (72A: Promote singer Crow's music?)
- BILL OF FERRELL (92A: Debt for comedian Will?)
- HANDLE WITH CAROL (104A: "I can't help you, but the Brady Bunch mom will be happy to assist"?)
- ICY STEROL (35D: Frost-covered biochemical solid?)
- THIN ERROL (48D: Like actor Flynn post-dieting?)
Word of the Day:WIDOW(63A: Typographical no-no) —
2.Printing
a last word or short last line of a paragraph falling at the top of a page or column and considered undesirable. (google)
• • •
Was weirdly slow to start, and then picked up speed quite a bit toward the middle and end. Tried to get cute and fill in 5A: Means of going down a 36-Down without looking at 36-Down, which caused problems (shocker) at both 5-Across and 36-Down. I put in RAMP at 5A, and then later, when I got it changed to RAFT, I put in RIVER at 36-Down. I'd say 1/3 of the puzzle's total resistance came from my total mishandling of this cross-reference situation. Slowest section was WNW, where SNIPER wouldn't come (33A: Good shot?), and where AMY'S really wanted to be EDY'S (44A: ___ Kitchen (frozen food brand)), and apparently I don't know what "onomastics" means, ugh (34D: Focus of onomastics (NAMES)). Had a few issues in the NE too, where SEDATE preceded SERENE (29A: Unruffled), DOLTS preceded DODOS (13A: Meatheads), and SOLELY was toughly clued at 17D: 100%. Really enjoyed both GAG ORDER (77D: It stops talking) and COLD CALL (80D: Telemarketer's action), particularly the former, as the clue *and* answer are first-rate. Overall grid quality is decent, actually, but the theme's just a dud for me.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]