Constructor:Andrew Kingsley
Relative difficulty:Medium
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THEME: none
Word of the Day:Marc SOAVE(15A: Verona vino) —
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As with yesterday's puzzle, I found this one nicely made but dull. I think "ABOUT THAT..." was my favorite moment, because it seems fresh and colloquial and different. Everything else, solid as it was, was less than exciting. STRAIT-LACED, even. Also, eight "?" is a little much for me. Anything over five starts trying my patience. If you wanna get cute, sure, have some fun with a few "?" clues (assuming they are Perfect) but maybe try being cute without them. [Yankee fare] messes with your mind *without* resorting to "?". Ditto [Family-friendly diner choice], [Kayak alternative], etc. How do I know how much BBS cost? (24D: Cheap shot?). Anyway, by about the sixth "?" clue I think I audibly ugh'ed. You gotta nail those, especially with nothing else really sterling going on in the fill. But again, this is solid and I did not dislike it.
I've noticed lately that, in troublesome areas, there's usually just one answer that's really holding things back. Now, in the NW today, the whole far west part was a disaster. I had a DRUM getting beaten, and a BUST as my [Museum offering]. Also, my [Persian, e.g.] was a CAT (duh). But ATLAS and SHOT proved right, and somehow I was able to backfill (reasonably quickly) all the crap I messed up with those initial Downs. But in other places it was a single answer that (in retrospect) gunked up the works. APED was a killer in the east (28A: Followed closely?). Got it down to -PED and still couldn't think of anything but SPED. Then in the south, the culprit was TENAM (49D: 1000, familiarly). TENGS ... is obviously wrong, from a math standpoint, but it's all my brain wanted with just the TE- in place. 1000 is not not not TENAM"familiarly" unless you are in the military. Do you say "ten hundred?" Weird. IF SO does not mean [Then]. There's nothing conditional about [Then]. I see where a lawyer could argue their equivalence, but that is weaksauce in extremis.
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I have to get up at 4am so I really need to go to sleep now.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Relative difficulty:Medium
Word of the Day:Marc SOAVE(15A: Verona vino) —
nounnoun: Soave
• • •
I've noticed lately that, in troublesome areas, there's usually just one answer that's really holding things back. Now, in the NW today, the whole far west part was a disaster. I had a DRUM getting beaten, and a BUST as my [Museum offering]. Also, my [Persian, e.g.] was a CAT (duh). But ATLAS and SHOT proved right, and somehow I was able to backfill (reasonably quickly) all the crap I messed up with those initial Downs. But in other places it was a single answer that (in retrospect) gunked up the works. APED was a killer in the east (28A: Followed closely?). Got it down to -PED and still couldn't think of anything but SPED. Then in the south, the culprit was TENAM (49D: 1000, familiarly). TENGS ... is obviously wrong, from a math standpoint, but it's all my brain wanted with just the TE- in place. 1000 is not not not TENAM"familiarly" unless you are in the military. Do you say "ten hundred?" Weird. IF SO does not mean [Then]. There's nothing conditional about [Then]. I see where a lawyer could argue their equivalence, but that is weaksauce in extremis.
[I met Cody Decker before tonight's Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Mets AA) home opener and then he got three hits including two doubles because I have that effect on people]
I have to get up at 4am so I really need to go to sleep now.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]