Constructor: Peter Gordon
Relative difficulty: Easy
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THEME: Meat entrees — Each theme answer is a different meat dish named after a city
Theme Answers:
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But on to the puzzle!
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I started attempting the puzzle every day on my morning train commute last summer. And like all of us in our early days of solving, I really struggled with Wednesday puzzles onward each week. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays were complete no-gos altogether. So I really looked forward to Mondays: my weekly opportunity to rekindle any nascent excitement for puzzling that had been snuffed out by midweek discouragement.
In my humble opinion, this week's Monday accomplishes half of the Monday constructor's mission. On the plus side — the grid is clean, there's not a lot of obscurity to bog down novice solvers, and the crosswordese — ANKA, ALDA, ENE and company (7D: "My Way lyricist Paul / 57A: Alan who wrote the book "If I Understand You, Would I have This Look on My Face?" / Direction from Mo. to Me.)— are few and far-between.
On the other hand (that's OTOH, for you newbies) — the puzzle is just flat-out uninspiring. Little about it feels exciting or invigorating. UNSUNG HERO (11D: Person not getting credit for a brave act) crossing PHAT (35A: Excellent, informally) is nice. The cluing on AUTO (55a: Jam ingredient?) is interesting and requires some extra thinking (although "ingredient" seems a bit of a stretch). But IN TOTO (49D: Like members of the band who blessed the rains down in Africa) —
... Ahem ... I digress. IN TOTO (49D: Counting everything), this is a tepid grid anchored by a very straightforward, bland theme. There's nothing wrong with it, per se (except that VIENNA SAUSAGES is the only plural of the bunch for no apparent reason?). But there's no payoff. Filling in meat entree after meat entree (clued oh-so plainly as such, nonetheless) doesn't spark the feeling of triumph that completing a puzzle (especially as a beginner) so often brings.
This could be someone's only real shot at solving the puzzle until next Monday! This could be someone's first successful solve in their young, soon-to-be prodigious crosswording career! It feels like we owe it to all the aspiring solvers to be a bit more creative and dynamic to start off the week. *steps off soapbox* *hands microphone back to Rex*
Bullets:
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[Follow Matthew Stock on Twitter for podcast musings and Cubs fandom]
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Relative difficulty: Easy
THEME: Meat entrees — Each theme answer is a different meat dish named after a city
Theme Answers:
- CHICKEN KIEV (17A: Meat entree in Ukraine)
- VIENNA SAUSAGES (28A: Meat entree in Austria)
- BEEF WELLINGTON (47A: Meat entree in New Zealand)
- LONDON BROIL (62A: Meat entree in the United Kingdom)
Christine Ann Lahti (born April 4, 1950) is an American actress and filmmaker. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1984 film Swing Shift. An eight-time Golden Globe nominee and six-time Emmy Award nominee, she won a Golden Globe for the 1989 TV movie No Place Like Home, and won a Golden Globe and an Emmy in 1998 for her role as Kate Austin in the CBS series Chicago Hope (1995–99). She also had recurring roles on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (2009–11), Hawaii Five-0 (2012–16), and The Blacklist (2015–17).
• • •
Hi y'all! I'm Matthew, a recent college grad, newly-employed public radio producer and budding crossword enthusiast filling in for Rex as he rounds out the Lollapuzzoola weekend. I made my puzzle tournament debut at Boswords last month (s/o Laura Braunstein, whose guest blog appearance inspired me to sign up!), and I can say — if Lolla's musical guest was half as entertaining as the Boston Typewriter Orchestra, then it surely was a great weekend for all involved.But on to the puzzle!
In my humble opinion, this week's Monday accomplishes half of the Monday constructor's mission. On the plus side — the grid is clean, there's not a lot of obscurity to bog down novice solvers, and the crosswordese — ANKA, ALDA, ENE and company (7D: "My Way lyricist Paul / 57A: Alan who wrote the book "If I Understand You, Would I have This Look on My Face?" / Direction from Mo. to Me.)— are few and far-between.
On the other hand (that's OTOH, for you newbies) — the puzzle is just flat-out uninspiring. Little about it feels exciting or invigorating. UNSUNG HERO (11D: Person not getting credit for a brave act) crossing PHAT (35A: Excellent, informally) is nice. The cluing on AUTO (55a: Jam ingredient?) is interesting and requires some extra thinking (although "ingredient" seems a bit of a stretch). But IN TOTO (49D: Like members of the band who blessed the rains down in Africa) —
... Ahem ... I digress. IN TOTO (49D: Counting everything), this is a tepid grid anchored by a very straightforward, bland theme. There's nothing wrong with it, per se (except that VIENNA SAUSAGES is the only plural of the bunch for no apparent reason?). But there's no payoff. Filling in meat entree after meat entree (clued oh-so plainly as such, nonetheless) doesn't spark the feeling of triumph that completing a puzzle (especially as a beginner) so often brings.
Bullets:
- INFIELD FLY (29D: Pop-up that results in the batter being called out even if the ball isn't caught) — As a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan and all around baseball nerd, this made me smile. Baseball answers seem to come up all the time (lookin' at you, ALOU) but this felt refreshingly original.
- AT LARGE (46D: Like a prison fugitive) — Can anything else be AT LARGE besides fugitives? I'm drawing a blank.
- STAR (32D: Symbol on the Texas state flag) — Yes, I'm a Dallas lifer, and yes, I believe this is the only way STAR should ever be clued.
- WHALES (48D: Moby Dick and others) — Moby Dick, Shamu and Free Willy are the only three famous whales I can think of. Help me complete my cetacean Mount Rushmore!
[Follow Matthew Stock on Twitter for podcast musings and Cubs fandom]
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]