Constructor:Bruce Haight
Relative difficulty:Easy-Medium
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THEME: pffft, do I really have to type this out?— Note: The five rows of circled squares reveal an unusual* feature of this puzzle.
*your definition of "unusual" may vary
CIRCLED SQUARES:
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I continue to be amazed that the NYT runs puzzles this joyless and tedious. So much constructing talent out there, but not nearly enough of it is coming to the NYT (any more). Where to begin here ... Let me get this straight: you start your puzzle (1-Across) with a [See blurb] (off to a roaring start!); then the blurb is actually not a "blurb" but a "Note" (Wife: "See blurb ... is the note the blurb? Why isn't it called "blurb"? FAIR QUESTION); then the "Note" tells you ... basically nothing—I mean, *presumably* the circled squares are important For Some Reason. But OK, "unusual feature," tell me more. Then the circled squares are just More Instructions (basically). And finally, what we're left with are ... six short answers that have this actually Completely Unremarkable and not-at-all "unusual" feature. Is anyone looking at ALMOST and going "Oooh, look at that the unusual feature of that word!" No. No. No. So, to recap: [See blurb] leads to instructions leads to more instructions leads to the saddest assortment of theme answers known to humankind. More (far more) real estate given over to Stupid Instructions than to the alleged "features" of interest. Only someone actively committed to joylessness could've produced this.
The fill is blah and old-skewing, but that hardly matters after the theme disaster. I would, however, like to say that BZZT is decidedly not a thing. Not cute, not clever, not a thing. I think Ben here had the right idea:
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Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
PS I mean, come on. These "unusual" theme answers are straight out of some dumb Buzzfeed listicle (actually, most of them are, in fact, in this Buzzfeed listicle)
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Relative difficulty:Easy-Medium
*your definition of "unusual" may vary
CIRCLED SQUARES:
- EVERY / STARRED ENTRY / IS IN / ALPHABETICAL / ORDER
- CHIMPS
- BEGINS
- CHINTZ
- ALMOST
- ABHORS
- BIJOUX
Vern Yip (born June 27, 1968, in Hong Kong) is an American interior designer based in Atlanta, Georgia. He periodically appeared on TLC's Trading Spaces through its fourth season, and was known for frequently including silk, candles and flowers in the rooms he designed. He is one of the panel of judges on HGTV's Design Star. Yip hosted four seasons of HGTV's show Deserving Design.[3][4] Yip just hosted an HGTV special called Urban Oasis, in which he designed a Chicago loft in the Trump International Hotel, to be given away to a winner. (wikipedia)
• • •
The fill is blah and old-skewing, but that hardly matters after the theme disaster. I would, however, like to say that BZZT is decidedly not a thing. Not cute, not clever, not a thing. I think Ben here had the right idea:
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
PS I mean, come on. These "unusual" theme answers are straight out of some dumb Buzzfeed listicle (actually, most of them are, in fact, in this Buzzfeed listicle)
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]