Constructor: Erik Agard
Relative difficulty: Medium
![]()
THEME:none
Word of the Day: CRICKET (1D: Fair play) —
![]()
This felt really tough, but my time came out normal, so ... normal! It's lovely, for a low-word-count grid (64 words). I am not a big fan of low-word-count grids, largely because you end up with more ickiness than a nice 68-to-72-worder will give you. Below 68, and the pressure starts to take its toll. RESAT and LEERAT and SAVETO and LLD are all kind of unpleasant, as are the longer words loaded with common letters, like ADDRESSES and ENROLLEE and ETAGERES. But, again, this is *very good* for a 64-worder. Cleaner than many NYT grids that are far less demanding. I like Erik's puzzles because they are wide-ranging and current, and also because they remind you, vividly, how very white the normal NYT POV is. Black people figure strongly in today's puzzle. You've got LAUREN London and Ava DuVernay's "QUEEN SUGAR" and ... well, I guess virtually all the SOUTH SUDANESE. In fact, you've got a good mix of everyone/thing: PAT BENATAR and THE STONES and REGGAE and PUERTO Rico and the WNBA's SAN ANTONIO Stars and SEMINOLE and RICE BEER etc. It's an impressively inclusive puzzle, in addition to being an impressively slick one.
There was one major cluing problem, though. How is DEICED [Cleared for landing?]? If you are deicing a plane, it is already on the ground. You are "clearing" it (of ice) for *take-off*. Right? I think so. I thought there was another cluing problem at 1D: Fair play (CRICKET), but no, that's apparently just a thing that CRICKET can mean, which I'm just learning now, in the middle of year 48 on this planet and year 47 speaking English. OK then.
There were a lot of tricky / "?" clues, but they didn't irk me the way they often can when they come in bulk. I got stuck in odd places, like putting in POKE AT instead of PECK AT (6D: Eat with no enthusiasm), and then falling right into the AVER / RUG trap at 49A: Profess (AVOW) / 50D: Removable locks (WIG). Not having any clue about that CRICKET definition, the NW was toughest for me, and the last part of the puzzle to fall. Tough clever clues on AIR TAXIS (2D: They might be used in making hops) and EX-COP (25A: Person who came out of the blue?) also added difficulty up in there. Overall, a solid, entertaining workout. Just about exactly what a Saturday oughta be.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Relative difficulty: Medium
Word of the Day: CRICKET (1D: Fair play) —
• • •
There was one major cluing problem, though. How is DEICED [Cleared for landing?]? If you are deicing a plane, it is already on the ground. You are "clearing" it (of ice) for *take-off*. Right? I think so. I thought there was another cluing problem at 1D: Fair play (CRICKET), but no, that's apparently just a thing that CRICKET can mean, which I'm just learning now, in the middle of year 48 on this planet and year 47 speaking English. OK then.
There were a lot of tricky / "?" clues, but they didn't irk me the way they often can when they come in bulk. I got stuck in odd places, like putting in POKE AT instead of PECK AT (6D: Eat with no enthusiasm), and then falling right into the AVER / RUG trap at 49A: Profess (AVOW) / 50D: Removable locks (WIG). Not having any clue about that CRICKET definition, the NW was toughest for me, and the last part of the puzzle to fall. Tough clever clues on AIR TAXIS (2D: They might be used in making hops) and EX-COP (25A: Person who came out of the blue?) also added difficulty up in there. Overall, a solid, entertaining workout. Just about exactly what a Saturday oughta be.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]