Constructor: Alex Vratsanos
Relative difficulty: Easy (5:37)
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THEME: SPREAD THE GOSPEL (61A: Evangelize ... or what this puzzle's circled squares do?— Letters in the names of the four canonical gospels are "spread" through four theme entries.
I'm going to go 32A: No holdsBARRED on this one: it is my least favorite of all the puzzles I've blogged for Rex. It's not a terrible puzzle, but meh. The theme itself is kinda old fashioned, as is much of the fill (more on that later), and while it was competently executed ... if not for 20A: Zoë of "Avatar" (SALDANA) and 69A: Craft company with a 2015 I.P.O. (ETSY), I could've been solving this with my grandfather in 1982. And as much as I miss those times, and I as much as I miss him, I'd rather solve a better puzzle.
Fill-wise ... TSK (41A: Sound of reproach). We've got our prefixes: LACTI, ALTI, TERA, and ISO. We've got BSIX (take one ADAY). We've got DSHARP crossing ESCARP (I'll bet MSHARP will be glad he ESCARPed this one). We've got ANTE, APSE, ADA, and ENO. SPEW, EEGS! HIE there, RUSSO! ABAFT, PELOSI, say the GOP Reps. I did like to see both fictional ships ARGO (25A: Jason's vessel, in myth) and NAUTILUS (35A: Captain Nemo's vessel).
Bullets:
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Relative difficulty: Easy (5:37)
THEME: SPREAD THE GOSPEL (61A: Evangelize ... or what this puzzle's circled squares do?— Letters in the names of the four canonical gospels are "spread" through four theme entries.
- 17A: Was loved by — MEANTTHE WORLD TO
- 22A: Know-it-all — SMART ALECK
- 39A: Comment after a fortuitous happening — LUCKY ME
- 50A: Frequently going from one post to another
— JOB HOPPING
The President's Guest House, commonly known as Blair House, is a complex of four formerly separate buildings—Blair House, Lee House, Peter Parker House, and 704 Jackson Place—located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. A major interior renovation of these 19th century residences between the 1950s and 1980s resulted in their reconstitution as a single facility. The President's Guest House is one of several residences owned by the United States government for use by the President and Vice President of the United States; other such residences include the White House, Camp David, One Observatory Circle, the Presidential Townhouse, and Trowbridge House. The President's Guest House has been called "the world's most exclusive hotel" because it is primarily used to host visiting dignitaries and other guests of the president. It is larger than the White House and closed to the public. (Wikipedia)
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11D: Variety show host of 1951-71
I'm going to go 32A: No holdsBARRED on this one: it is my least favorite of all the puzzles I've blogged for Rex. It's not a terrible puzzle, but meh. The theme itself is kinda old fashioned, as is much of the fill (more on that later), and while it was competently executed ... if not for 20A: Zoë of "Avatar" (SALDANA) and 69A: Craft company with a 2015 I.P.O. (ETSY), I could've been solving this with my grandfather in 1982. And as much as I miss those times, and I as much as I miss him, I'd rather solve a better puzzle.
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| “It’s hard when you go and fight for a role, because they’re like ‘I don’t know, man, you mean, it’s like the blue girl from Avatar? ... I want to go down a different route. I feel like a little bit of an underdog because I live in space, nobody wants me here on Earth.” (Interview in The Independent) |
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| 66A: Family history, e.g. |
- 4D: House of Elizabeth II (WINDSOR) — Almost exactly 100 years ago, the British Royal Family changed its name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor.
- 23D: What gives you the right to bare arms? (TANK TOP)— Not in Congress, apparently.
- 9D: Nuisance in an online comments section (TROLL)— Don't be one.
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