Constructor: Alan Arbesfeld
Relative difficulty: Easy
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THEME:"New England Chatter"— I have no *&$%ing idea what is happening. I think there's some attempt to make wacky phrases based on the idea of a "New England" accent, but mainly there appear to be simply a dropping of Rs (?). Just seems pseudo-British, really...
Theme answers:
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This is the most ill-conceived, DOA Sunday theme I can remember seeing. Ever. The fact that this saw the light of day indicates that Sunday submissions must be at dire, emergency levels. Even if this puzzle had Nailed It, conceptually, managing to turn ordinary phrases into phrases that sound like a Bostonian was saying them, it would've been corny and old hat. Done, done and done. Trite. Again, that's the *best* case scenario for this theme. The actual case scenario is a disaster, a mishmash of sound changes that resemble precisely nobody's accent. Drop the "R" appears to be the theme. -ARKs and -ARTs go to -OCKs and -OTs. First problem, that is not, in and of itself, characteristically "New England." It's not, as my friend just wrote me, "pahk the cah in hahvad yahd." Just say SPOCK PLUGS. There's nothing "New England" about it. It's just a dumb phrase. And what is up with the title: "New England Chatter." Is that supposed to be a play on "New England Chowder"? Has to be, right? But ... but ... that sound change ... doesn't fit ... at all. Seriously, what is happening? But the biggest, most ridiculous failure of this theme is 24A: A CALL TO OMS. No one—literally, no one—pronounces OMS like it rhymes with MOMS. It's a long "O." It is. It really is. Like, really. Here. Look. Here is a site called "Om Cooking: Food to Enlighten Your Palate." Because the pun is on HOME!!!!!!!! OM rhymes with HOME. *Everybody* *Knows* *This*. Is no one minding the store?
Jaw-dropping that this puzzle was accepted. The concept and execution are both sub-3rd-rate-in-flight-magazine fare. The emperor continues to have few if any clothes. I'm done here.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
P.S. since I'm using their image, I should probably at least tell you that the "comma chameleon" shirt is a real thing you can buy.
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Relative difficulty: Easy
Theme answers:
- SPOCK PLUGS (22A: Commercials for a "Star Trek" movie?) (why "movie"?)
- A CALL TO OMS (24A: Yoga teacher's invitation?) (oy, see below)
- HOT SPECIALIST (36A: Weather forecaster in Phoenix?)
- THE BOD OF AVON (51A: Most in-shape person at a cosmetics company?)
- PASSING MOCK (69A: Ridicule shouted out of a moving car?)
- INSTANT COMMA (87A: Quickly added bit of punctuation?)
- A SHOT IN THE DOC (100A: What allowed one physician to get through flu season?)
- LOW COB DIET (116A: Regimen with limited intake of corn?)
- IT'S MY POTTY? (119A: Toddler's cry upon entering the bathroom?) (ICK)
In Greek mythology, Euterpe (/juːˈtɜːrpiː/; Greek: Eὐτέρπη, Greek pronunciation: [efˈterpi], Ancient Greek: [eu̯térpɛː]; "rejoicing well" or "delight" from Ancient Greek εὖ 'well' + τέρπειν terpein'to please') was one of the Muses, the daughters of Mnemosyne, fathered by Zeus. Called the "Giver of delight", when later poets assigned roles to each of the Muses, she was the muse of music. In late Classical times she was named muse of lyric poetry[1] and depicted holding a flute. A few say she invented the aulos or double-flute, though most mythographers credit Marsyas with its invention. (wikipedia)
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Jaw-dropping that this puzzle was accepted. The concept and execution are both sub-3rd-rate-in-flight-magazine fare. The emperor continues to have few if any clothes. I'm done here.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
P.S. since I'm using their image, I should probably at least tell you that the "comma chameleon" shirt is a real thing you can buy.
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]