*********NOTE: the puzzle in the actual paper (at least the one that came to our door this morning) is a different puzzle from the one released online, and as of now, I have no idea why************
*********NOTE TWO: I have to go to work so if you got the Randolph Ross puzzle in your Thursday paper, and not the Doug Peterson puzzle, well that is just bad luck for you on I'm guessing at least two levels************
UPDATE:
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Constructor: Doug Peterson
Relative difficulty: Easy (very very) (untimed on clipboard, but I hesitated exactly once during the entire solve)
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THEME: ENGAGEMENT (RING) (61A: It's usually presented in a small box, as seen six times in this puzzle's answer) ("answer," singular??) — six RINGs appear in six (small) boxes in the grid (the *grid*, not the "answer," what the heck?)
Theme answers:
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Well this was a roller-coaster ride. Hmm. That may not be the best metaphor. It was very easy and over quickly, so it never went up and down and all over the place difficulty-wise, but quality-wise, hoo boy. Doug is a good friend of mine, and his puzzles are generally stellar; his Newsday Saturday Stumper puzzles, both solo and with Brad Wilber (under the pseudonym "Lars G. Doubleday") are really wonderful (if you're not doing the Saturday Stumper, you should get on that—*by far* the hardest puzzle of any given week; makes the NYT Saturday seem like a Monday). I don't see his byline nearly as often in the NYT as I would like, so I was excited today. And the theme works really well, I think. OK, sure, the boxes are actually normal-sized and it's the RING that has been made "small," but I think that visually, the gimmick works very well. But some of this fill, a surprising lot of this fill, is C(RING)EWORTHY (which is, ironically, a great word—you're really just gonna hand me this word, Doug? OK... :)
I opened with ISPS / ICBM, which ... didn't bode well. Throw in PSST and you've got a crosswordese-laden corner, right off the bat. And now, here comes the roller-coaster ... up and down ... I've got smiley faces and frowny faces *all* over this grid. AZO, THO :( "SUSSUDIO" KINDA SORTA :) :) UTE ADAIR NOES OPE :( :( CRINGEWORTHY DR. HOOK :) :) plural YALES *and* plural SARAS :( :( MEATCASE TWOSOME :) ONEA SASE SNO STR :( ... I was happy one second, and then practically shouting "Noooo!" the next (not actually shouting, as I was solving in the middle of the night and my wife and dog would likely not have appreciated it). Back-to-back IDAs! That's neat. But yeesh, all over the map, this one was. Overall I have good feelings about this one because the theme is so solid and *some* of the fill is so wonderful. I'll chalk the not-so-great fill up to the theme density (six rings!).
People are gonna be mad about 22D: Rival of a Pac-12 Cougar because the UTEs are (I think?) more likely to be thought of as rivals of the BYU Cougars (who are not in the Pac-12), than of the Washington State Cougars (who are). Not sure if the clue was trying to be tricky or clever or what, but it comes off confusing and awkward. I honestly didn't notice the clue much. Blah blah college athlete three letters starts with "U" no problem. Puzzled much more (but not much more) over USC (40D: Sch. whose mascot is a horse named Traveler). The only answer in this puzzle that slowed me down in any way was THRUM. This is because I came at it from below, and so if there's plucking and the answer is five letters ending -RUM ... you know, you pick STRUM, which is a word people actually use. I'm not mad at THRUM, though. I kinda (sorta) like it, as a word. And at least it provided a little resistance, unlike the rest of this puzzle, which was a cakewalk.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
P.S. just found out there's a back story to the puzzle (involving, not surprisingly, a marriage proposal). You can read about it here.
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
*********NOTE TWO: I have to go to work so if you got the Randolph Ross puzzle in your Thursday paper, and not the Doug Peterson puzzle, well that is just bad luck for you on I'm guessing at least two levels************
UPDATE:
***
Relative difficulty: Easy (very very) (untimed on clipboard, but I hesitated exactly once during the entire solve)
Theme answers:
- BRINGS INTO PLAY (17A: Employs) / SYRINGE (2D: Hypodermic)
- RINGO STARR (25A: "Yellow Submarine" vocalist) / ALLURING (8D: Seductive)
- CRINGEWORTHY (32A: Extremely awkward) / PRINGLE (27D: Snack in a stack)
- PULLS STRINGS (42A: Exerts one's clout) / PARINGS (35D: Discarded parts of apples and potatoes)
- ERIN GO BRAGH! (53A: Mid-March shout)/ WRING OUT (50D: Dry, as a washcloth)
- ENGAGEMENT RING / KRINGLE (59D: Noted Kris)
1: to sound with a monotonous hum2: to play or pluck a stringed instrument idly : STRUM1: to play (something, such as a stringed instrument) in an idle or relaxed manner2: to recite tiresomely or monotonously (merriam-webster.com)
• • •
I opened with ISPS / ICBM, which ... didn't bode well. Throw in PSST and you've got a crosswordese-laden corner, right off the bat. And now, here comes the roller-coaster ... up and down ... I've got smiley faces and frowny faces *all* over this grid. AZO, THO :( "SUSSUDIO" KINDA SORTA :) :) UTE ADAIR NOES OPE :( :( CRINGEWORTHY DR. HOOK :) :) plural YALES *and* plural SARAS :( :( MEATCASE TWOSOME :) ONEA SASE SNO STR :( ... I was happy one second, and then practically shouting "Noooo!" the next (not actually shouting, as I was solving in the middle of the night and my wife and dog would likely not have appreciated it). Back-to-back IDAs! That's neat. But yeesh, all over the map, this one was. Overall I have good feelings about this one because the theme is so solid and *some* of the fill is so wonderful. I'll chalk the not-so-great fill up to the theme density (six rings!).
People are gonna be mad about 22D: Rival of a Pac-12 Cougar because the UTEs are (I think?) more likely to be thought of as rivals of the BYU Cougars (who are not in the Pac-12), than of the Washington State Cougars (who are). Not sure if the clue was trying to be tricky or clever or what, but it comes off confusing and awkward. I honestly didn't notice the clue much. Blah blah college athlete three letters starts with "U" no problem. Puzzled much more (but not much more) over USC (40D: Sch. whose mascot is a horse named Traveler). The only answer in this puzzle that slowed me down in any way was THRUM. This is because I came at it from below, and so if there's plucking and the answer is five letters ending -RUM ... you know, you pick STRUM, which is a word people actually use. I'm not mad at THRUM, though. I kinda (sorta) like it, as a word. And at least it provided a little resistance, unlike the rest of this puzzle, which was a cakewalk.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
P.S. just found out there's a back story to the puzzle (involving, not surprisingly, a marriage proposal). You can read about it here.
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]