Constructor: Ryan McCarty
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (Easy except for that NE corner, which is treacherous) (5:46)
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THEME: none
Word of the Day: Ron INSANA (1D: Longtime CNBC commentator Ron) —
[Note: today's constructor may have built his word list himself, or even constructed this puzzle totally unaided by software, for all I know—but I'm about to go off about purchased word lists and improperly managed constructing software anyway, on general principle] [Don't worry: I actually liked the puzzle]
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Control your word lists, people. I know some of you are spending a not-small sum buying a hefty word list from a noted constructor, but JEEZ, rein it in. OWLET MOTHS is bonkers (34A: Insects named after a small bird). It's fine that those moths are real and so they're valid blah blah blah. The point is unless you're an entomologist I don't believe you know what those are. It sounds like you're saying "outlet malls" with a mouthful of oatmeal. OWLET MOTHS looks like something you found out about when your computer told you "hey, this fits here." Mostly I'm against using stuff (esp. longer answers) you don't actually have some familiarity with yourself. Something like OWLET MOTHS just screams "computer fill." Or it shrieks it. Do owls scream or shriek? Man, "shriek" is a weird-looking word. Am I spelling that right? Anyway, the point is, outlier obscurities like this detract from your otherwise lovely grid. Computer assistance is fine—perhaps necessary for some of these grids with showier stacks—but nothing can substitute for good taste and discretion. See also INSANA, wtf. Who voluntarily puts that in their puzzle? Oh, and ASPISH. Come on.
There's some clunky stuff here, like ATARUN :( and ENHALO :( but overall I found the grid pretty clean. Not exciting, but far from unpleasant. Whoa, what are HYSONS??? I'm only just now seeing this answer (I guess when PEKOES didn't fit, I just got the rest of that answer from crosses). Again, I'm calling 'Roided Word List on this answer (though I'm actually glad to learn this word, as it seems like something I should know, unlike OWLET MOTHS and INSANA). I think my mostly warm disposition toward this puzzle began with CORPSE POSE. One good answer can really do a lot to make the overall solving experience a positive one. PRIDE PARADE was probably the only other answer I actively liked (30A: Outmarch?). Oh, and BANSHEE. RARE JEWELS feels odd to me. Not sure why. Something about it just doesn't quite land. "Precious gems" seems right. RARE JEWELS sounds like a villainous pirate would use when talking of his nefarious plans. If I google ["rare jewels" treasure chest], the NYT's own puzzle blog is the first site that comes up. I like HOV / LANE as successive answers. I like the colloquiality of "JEEZ!" and "SAY WHEN..." There's more here to like than there is not to like.
It was all very easy, though. A minute faster (for me) than yesterday's puzzle. But that NE corner was almost a total disaster. I only know the PERSEIDS and LEONIDS ... so ORIONIDS was ??? Add to the confusion an erstwhile ABC sitcom I've never ever heard of (13D: "The Real ___," former ABC sitcom) (wow, it aired for A Whole Year), a [Modern land in the ancient Sasanian Empire] that I thought was OMAN, and then LIMP—dear lord, that clue (10D: Not go off without a hitch?). If you have a "hitch" in your step, you are limping? Ha ha, your disability is comical? Yikes. I spent what felt like a ton of time trying to find some four-letter synonym for ELOPE. Oh, and I almost forgot. For [Hog's squeal?] I of course had OINK. Thanks, "N" from BANSHEE! You were a ton of help [/sarcasm]. Nothing else but HYSONS and INSANA gave me any trouble. Weird to pack your difficulty into one small corner of the grid, but you do you, puzzle. I got out alive, and with a respectable time, and while I made disbelieving faces a few times, I never groaned or headdesked, so: thumbs up!
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (Easy except for that NE corner, which is treacherous) (5:46)
Word of the Day: Ron INSANA (1D: Longtime CNBC commentator Ron) —
Ron Insana (born March 31, 1961) is a reporter for Market Score Board Report with Ron Insana, syndicated by Compass, and a Senior Analyst and Commentator at CNBC. He was Managing Director of Insana Capital Partners from inception to collapse. He was the anchor of CNBC's "Street Signs", which aired weekdays during stock market hours. Until December 5, 2003, he and Sue Herera co-anchored CNBC's then flagship nightly financial news program, Business Center. (wikipedia)
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[Note: today's constructor may have built his word list himself, or even constructed this puzzle totally unaided by software, for all I know—but I'm about to go off about purchased word lists and improperly managed constructing software anyway, on general principle] [Don't worry: I actually liked the puzzle]
[MOTION]
There's some clunky stuff here, like ATARUN :( and ENHALO :( but overall I found the grid pretty clean. Not exciting, but far from unpleasant. Whoa, what are HYSONS??? I'm only just now seeing this answer (I guess when PEKOES didn't fit, I just got the rest of that answer from crosses). Again, I'm calling 'Roided Word List on this answer (though I'm actually glad to learn this word, as it seems like something I should know, unlike OWLET MOTHS and INSANA). I think my mostly warm disposition toward this puzzle began with CORPSE POSE. One good answer can really do a lot to make the overall solving experience a positive one. PRIDE PARADE was probably the only other answer I actively liked (30A: Outmarch?). Oh, and BANSHEE. RARE JEWELS feels odd to me. Not sure why. Something about it just doesn't quite land. "Precious gems" seems right. RARE JEWELS sounds like a villainous pirate would use when talking of his nefarious plans. If I google ["rare jewels" treasure chest], the NYT's own puzzle blog is the first site that comes up. I like HOV / LANE as successive answers. I like the colloquiality of "JEEZ!" and "SAY WHEN..." There's more here to like than there is not to like.
It was all very easy, though. A minute faster (for me) than yesterday's puzzle. But that NE corner was almost a total disaster. I only know the PERSEIDS and LEONIDS ... so ORIONIDS was ??? Add to the confusion an erstwhile ABC sitcom I've never ever heard of (13D: "The Real ___," former ABC sitcom) (wow, it aired for A Whole Year), a [Modern land in the ancient Sasanian Empire] that I thought was OMAN, and then LIMP—dear lord, that clue (10D: Not go off without a hitch?). If you have a "hitch" in your step, you are limping? Ha ha, your disability is comical? Yikes. I spent what felt like a ton of time trying to find some four-letter synonym for ELOPE. Oh, and I almost forgot. For [Hog's squeal?] I of course had OINK. Thanks, "N" from BANSHEE! You were a ton of help [/sarcasm]. Nothing else but HYSONS and INSANA gave me any trouble. Weird to pack your difficulty into one small corner of the grid, but you do you, puzzle. I got out alive, and with a respectable time, and while I made disbelieving faces a few times, I never groaned or headdesked, so: thumbs up!
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]