Constructor: Jean O'Conor
Relative difficulty: Medium (*little* tougher maybe)
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THEME: ON A / ROLL (62A: With 60-Across, doing great ... or where to find 18-, 24-, 35-, 51- and 57-Across?) — things that can be found in or on or are otherwise associated with rolls:
Theme answers:
Word of the Day: EXIGENT (19D: Demanding immediate attention) —
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This one felt a bit clunky to me, for several reasons. First the "ON" part of "ON A / ROLL" doesn't really work for all of these (hence the "?" on the revealer clue, I guess). SNAKE EYES *are* the roll. WALLPAPER and CAMERA FILM come *in* a roll. Further, the last two are the same *kind* of "roll" (i.e. the same meaning of that word, something that comes rolled up), where all the other theme answers use "roll" differently. Lastly, CAMERA FILM is an awkward phrase. Oh, and lastly lastly, "obsolescent" really threw me. I mean, I see what the clue is getting at—almost all photography is digital nowadays. But people do still use film, it's not like it's from the Olden Dayes. If the clue had left "obsolescent" off entirely, that answer would've been easier to get. As it was, I had FILM and wanted something like SEPIA or something else that belongs to a very bygone time. Oh, wait, lastly lastly lastly—hated the placement / breaking of the revealer. Totally random placement. May as well stick those answer parts anywhere if you can't give them a place that makes some kind of structural sense. Lastly x 4, the theme answers are just ... boring. OK, done with lastlys.
The fill here is fine. Average. NW stands out as the nicest area, although EXIGENT is easily my favorite single answer. Got slowed down some by [___ blind] (ROB), which is actually quite hard, and SLIMES, which is not a real word except in "Ghostbusters" (47D: Smears with gunk), and SIDESLIP, which is not a word I really know (though I can imagine what it is) (39D: Lose forward traction). Completely blanked on "Hey Diddle Diddle" lyrics and somehow ended up with THE COP jumping over the moon. Weird. Anyway, all those struggles/mistakes were enough to drive me over, but not considerably over, my normal Monday time.
Relative difficulty: Medium (*little* tougher maybe)
THEME: ON A / ROLL (62A: With 60-Across, doing great ... or where to find 18-, 24-, 35-, 51- and 57-Across?) — things that can be found in or on or are otherwise associated with rolls:
Theme answers:
- 18A: Tiny bagel flavorers (POPPY SEEDS)
- 24A: Two in craps (SNAKE EYES)
- 35A: Ones getting all A's (HONOR STUDENTS)
- 51A: Room decoration with a pattern (WALLPAPER)
- 57A: Obsolescent Kodak product (CAMERA FILM)
Word of the Day: EXIGENT (19D: Demanding immediate attention) —
adj.
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/exigent#ixzz2cMWmQOA9
• • •
- Requiring immediate action or remedy. See synonyms at urgent.
- Requiring much effort or expense; demanding.
[Latin exigēns, exigent-, present participle of exigere, to demand. See exact.]
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/exigent#ixzz2cMWmQOA9
• • •
The fill here is fine. Average. NW stands out as the nicest area, although EXIGENT is easily my favorite single answer. Got slowed down some by [___ blind] (ROB), which is actually quite hard, and SLIMES, which is not a real word except in "Ghostbusters" (47D: Smears with gunk), and SIDESLIP, which is not a word I really know (though I can imagine what it is) (39D: Lose forward traction). Completely blanked on "Hey Diddle Diddle" lyrics and somehow ended up with THE COP jumping over the moon. Weird. Anyway, all those struggles/mistakes were enough to drive me over, but not considerably over, my normal Monday time.