Constructor: Patrick Merrell
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (Medium for me, but I totally fell on my face right out of the gate ... I think it's somewhat easier than my time suggested) (5:53)
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THEME: NO!— familiar phrases that start with "NO" are clued as if they are negative responses to question, i.e. you have to mentally supply a comma after the "NO"...
Theme answers:
Q: "Did Courtney win her legal battle with her record label? A: "___" (NO, LOVE LOST!)
Q: "Should we play rap music for the male members of this retirement community?" A: "___" (NO, COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN!)
Q: "Wait ... is Julia in the car?!" A: "___" (NO, CHILD LEFT BEHIND!)
Etc.
I can't say that the theme was terribly enjoyable. The clues were contrived in a way that I didn't find funny. Essays don't directly evoke "reason" to me, there's no reason a snack bar should be good at burgers *or* shakes but not both, and who in the world would ask the question, "Is the *ISLE* of Man a peninsula?" The potential for humor is there, I guess, but with just three themers chosen (apparently) for their ability to fit in the grid neatly, there just wasn't enough zip or oomph or whatever it is that makes the crossword fun. After I pieced together the first themer, the others got increasingly easier, to the point where I wrote in NO MAN IS AN ISLAND with just the final handful of letters in place. Still, despite the easy-to-uncover theme, my time was not fast. This is largely because I literally (i.e. figuratively) fell down right out of the gate. 1A: Sounds of surrender (SIGHS) meant nothing to me (Me: "UNCLE...S?"), and then I dumbly wrote in ISIAH (?) at 14A: A patriarch of the Israelites (ISAAC) and then really truly screwed things up when I imagined 20A: Meet stick (BATON) might be a KABOB—I swear to you that I actually wrote this in, and yes, I see now that the clue does not say [Meat stick], thanks for pointing that out. So ... by my calculations, I basically gave myself a self-inflicted 1-minute time wound. Everything after that went much easier.
I did feel like I was flailing a lot, even if I was making steady progress. Pictionary rules? No idea, so NOUN was all from crosses. Hesitated on ALP because I figured the answer would be French, i.e. ALPE, which didn't fit (22D: Tour de France high point). No idea cars' names used to be on HUBCAPs. Hard to see both SKIN (35D: Exterior) andRUB (43D: Steak coating). Really truly sincerely right up until I solved this puzzle thought that the bear was called Teddy RUX*B*IN, ugh. REMORA is a word I barely know. How in the world would I know what night "77 Sunset Strip" was on (!??!?!)? And I put in LESS for SANS (67A: Lacking). Would've been nice to have some flashier fill given how scant the theme is, but the grid certainly isn't bad as is. It's OK. Just OK. If you enjoy the humor of the theme here, then it was probably enough. I would've liked more humor, and somewhat zingier fill. [SIGHS]
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The Chronicle of Higher Education just published a profile of yours truly, with lots good background on the blog and on the state of Crossworddom in general. Give it a read. Thanks.
P.S. Here's a video interview of Erik Agard and Angela Halsted talking (pointedly but diplomatically) about how to construct good crossword puzzles. Good stuff.
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (Medium for me, but I totally fell on my face right out of the gate ... I think it's somewhat easier than my time suggested) (5:53)
Theme answers:
- NO, RHYME OR REASON (17A: Q: "Can I write both a poem and an essay?" A: "___")
- NO, GREAT SHAKES (36A: Q: "Is that snack bar known for good burgers?" A: "___")
- NO, MAN IS AN ISLAND (60A: Q: "Should you call that stopover between Liverpool and Belfast a peninsula?" A: "___")
Teddy Ruxpin is an animatronic children's toy in the form of a talking bear. The bear's mouth and eyes moved while "reading" stories that were played on an audio tape cassette deck built into its back. It was created by Ken Forsse with later assistance by Larry Larsen and John Davies, and the first version of the toy was designed by the firm RKS Design. Later versions would use a digital cartridge in place of a cassette. At the peak of his popularity, Teddy Ruxpin became the best-selling toy of 1985 and 1986, and the 2006 version was awarded the 2006 Animated Interactive Plush Toy of the Year by Creative Child Magazine. A cartoon based on the characters debuted in 1986.In 2018, it was announced that Alchemy and The Jim Henson Company will make a new Teddy Ruxpin TV series. The series will be animated in a digital puppetry form and will be aimed at preschoolers. (wikipedia) (emph mine what the hell???)
• • •
Q: "Did Courtney win her legal battle with her record label? A: "___" (NO, LOVE LOST!)
Q: "Should we play rap music for the male members of this retirement community?" A: "___" (NO, COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN!)
Q: "Wait ... is Julia in the car?!" A: "___" (NO, CHILD LEFT BEHIND!)
Etc.
I can't say that the theme was terribly enjoyable. The clues were contrived in a way that I didn't find funny. Essays don't directly evoke "reason" to me, there's no reason a snack bar should be good at burgers *or* shakes but not both, and who in the world would ask the question, "Is the *ISLE* of Man a peninsula?" The potential for humor is there, I guess, but with just three themers chosen (apparently) for their ability to fit in the grid neatly, there just wasn't enough zip or oomph or whatever it is that makes the crossword fun. After I pieced together the first themer, the others got increasingly easier, to the point where I wrote in NO MAN IS AN ISLAND with just the final handful of letters in place. Still, despite the easy-to-uncover theme, my time was not fast. This is largely because I literally (i.e. figuratively) fell down right out of the gate. 1A: Sounds of surrender (SIGHS) meant nothing to me (Me: "UNCLE...S?"), and then I dumbly wrote in ISIAH (?) at 14A: A patriarch of the Israelites (ISAAC) and then really truly screwed things up when I imagined 20A: Meet stick (BATON) might be a KABOB—I swear to you that I actually wrote this in, and yes, I see now that the clue does not say [Meat stick], thanks for pointing that out. So ... by my calculations, I basically gave myself a self-inflicted 1-minute time wound. Everything after that went much easier.
I did feel like I was flailing a lot, even if I was making steady progress. Pictionary rules? No idea, so NOUN was all from crosses. Hesitated on ALP because I figured the answer would be French, i.e. ALPE, which didn't fit (22D: Tour de France high point). No idea cars' names used to be on HUBCAPs. Hard to see both SKIN (35D: Exterior) andRUB (43D: Steak coating). Really truly sincerely right up until I solved this puzzle thought that the bear was called Teddy RUX*B*IN, ugh. REMORA is a word I barely know. How in the world would I know what night "77 Sunset Strip" was on (!??!?!)? And I put in LESS for SANS (67A: Lacking). Would've been nice to have some flashier fill given how scant the theme is, but the grid certainly isn't bad as is. It's OK. Just OK. If you enjoy the humor of the theme here, then it was probably enough. I would've liked more humor, and somewhat zingier fill. [SIGHS]
P.S. Here's a video interview of Erik Agard and Angela Halsted talking (pointedly but diplomatically) about how to construct good crossword puzzles. Good stuff.
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]