Constructor: Ian Livengood
Relative difficulty: Medium
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THEME: BOSTON (43A: Theme of this puzzle) [scintillating clue!]
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Theme answers:
Word of the Day: HEEL TAP (25D: Shoe lift) —
RE: the definition of "HEELTAP"—What is this mythical "amount of liquor left at the bottom of a glass after drinking"? Who is leaving liquor at the bottom of their glass after drinking, and what is wrong with them?
This puzzle was too straightforward for my tastes. Bunch of stuff related to (a boringly clued) BOSTON. Then the gratuitous and mildly irrelevant circled-letter MA. It's not like getting an "M" or an "A" into those places would've been tough. Grid is professional-grade—Ian (newly married, btw—congratulations) knows what he's doing. But just ho-hum for me. Never ever heard of HEELTAP. Neither had wife. Real outlier in this puzzle. But a fine word to know, I suppose.
My favorite part of solving this (which I did on paper, as I now have a strict "no electronics" sabbath from Sat. night to Sun. night, i.e. between blog posts) was seeing PAUL RE- in the grid at 11D and deciding I would no-look it—thus, casually and confidently, I wrote in what I was sure to be the one true answer: PAUL REISER. Felled by hubris! It's kind of fun on a Monday, when the stakes are ankle-high at best.
Off to contribute to my on-line reading group's discussion of "Moby-Dick" (22D: Fictional captain who said "Thou damned whale!" => AHAB). See you tomorrow.
Relative difficulty: Medium
THEME: BOSTON (43A: Theme of this puzzle) [scintillating clue!]
- 17A: Expensive neighborhood in 43-Across (BEACON HILL)
- 11D: 43-Across patriot who went on a "midnight ride" (PAUL REVERE)
- 34A: Nickname for 43-Across (THE HUB)
- 29D: Popular food in 43-Across (BAKED BEANS)
- 61A: 43-Across stadium (FENWAY PARK)
Word of the Day: HEEL TAP (25D: Shoe lift) —
noun /ˈhēlˌtap/
heeltaps, plural
- One of the layers of leather or other material of which a shoe heel is made
- An amount of liquor left at the bottom of a glass after drinking
• • •
RE: the definition of "HEELTAP"—What is this mythical "amount of liquor left at the bottom of a glass after drinking"? Who is leaving liquor at the bottom of their glass after drinking, and what is wrong with them?
This puzzle was too straightforward for my tastes. Bunch of stuff related to (a boringly clued) BOSTON. Then the gratuitous and mildly irrelevant circled-letter MA. It's not like getting an "M" or an "A" into those places would've been tough. Grid is professional-grade—Ian (newly married, btw—congratulations) knows what he's doing. But just ho-hum for me. Never ever heard of HEELTAP. Neither had wife. Real outlier in this puzzle. But a fine word to know, I suppose.
My favorite part of solving this (which I did on paper, as I now have a strict "no electronics" sabbath from Sat. night to Sun. night, i.e. between blog posts) was seeing PAUL RE- in the grid at 11D and deciding I would no-look it—thus, casually and confidently, I wrote in what I was sure to be the one true answer: PAUL REISER. Felled by hubris! It's kind of fun on a Monday, when the stakes are ankle-high at best.
Off to contribute to my on-line reading group's discussion of "Moby-Dick" (22D: Fictional captain who said "Thou damned whale!" => AHAB). See you tomorrow.