Constructor:Daniel Larsen
Relative difficulty:Medium
![]()
THEME:ELMER FUDD (64A: Archenemy of Bugs Bunny ... who might say things like 17-, 24-, 32-, 42- and 51-Across)— we've got themers where R- and L-sounds in first word are changed to W-sounds, with resulting spelling changes and resulting wackiness
Theme answers:
![]()
Today's constructor is 13 (that's what the NYT is trumpeting via Twitter, anyway), so that is something. Good for him. Now I can start calling Paolo Pasco (who is my daughter's age) "old man." Gonna damn this puzzle with faint praise by saying it's absolutely, 100% credible as a Tuesday NYT offering. Is it poking fun at people with speech impediments, or simply innocently aping a famous cartoon character. I tend to think the latter, but I don't have a speech impediment (unless you count a loudish nasally voice running on and on as impedimented). I never really thought about the fact that Elmer says both his Rs *and* his Ls like Ws. The R-to-W moves here sound more ... natural, to my ear. Also, if someone says "loud" as "wowed," my brain wants them also to say "mouths" as "moufs." A personal tic, I'm sure. I'm also sure this theme has probably been done before, but no matter. It has a certain cuteness.
The fill needs a lot of work, though, again, it's pretty Tuesday-average. It's a very easy puzzle and you've dropped HASEK in the middle of it? He's very famous as goalies go, but even I, knowing his name well, couldn't spell it at first pass (wanted a "C" where the "S" is). And his name will be the least generally known thing in the puzzle by a country mile. HASEK isn't bad. It's just not really Tuesday, and kind of sore-thumby in this grid. But looking over everything else, honestly, this is better than some bafflingly oft-published NYT constructors are capable of, so I'm gonna end on a high note and say that this is Very promising work.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
P.S. AW, GOON! Happy Valentine's Day!
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Relative difficulty:Medium
THEME:ELMER FUDD (64A: Archenemy of Bugs Bunny ... who might say things like 17-, 24-, 32-, 42- and 51-Across)— we've got themers where R- and L-sounds in first word are changed to W-sounds, with resulting spelling changes and resulting wackiness
Theme answers:
- TWEE HOUSE (17A: Small, cute residence?)
- SWAT MACHINE (24A: Device for killing mosquitoes?)
- WHISKEY MOVE (32A: Pouring into a shot glass, e.g.?)
- WOWED MOUTHS (42A: Relatives of slack jaws?)
- QUACK OF DAWN (51A: What wakes everyone up in the morning at the duck pond?)
Dominik Hašek (Czech pronunciation:[ˈdomɪnɪk ˈɦaʃɛk]; born January 29, 1965) is a retired Czechice hockeygoaltender. In his 16-season National Hockey League (NHL) career, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators. During his years in Buffalo, he became one of the league's finest goaltenders, earning him the nickname "The Dominator". His strong play has been credited with establishing European goaltenders in a league previously dominated by North Americans. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, both with the Red Wings. On January 27, 2017, in a ceremony during the All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, Hasek was part of the second group of players to be named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history. (wikipedia)
• • •
["That's it, hold it right there! ... [aside] pronoun trouble..."]
The fill needs a lot of work, though, again, it's pretty Tuesday-average. It's a very easy puzzle and you've dropped HASEK in the middle of it? He's very famous as goalies go, but even I, knowing his name well, couldn't spell it at first pass (wanted a "C" where the "S" is). And his name will be the least generally known thing in the puzzle by a country mile. HASEK isn't bad. It's just not really Tuesday, and kind of sore-thumby in this grid. But looking over everything else, honestly, this is better than some bafflingly oft-published NYT constructors are capable of, so I'm gonna end on a high note and say that this is Very promising work.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
P.S. AW, GOON! Happy Valentine's Day!
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]