Constructor: Ezra Brauner and Jeff Chen
Relative difficulty: Medium?? (it was Easy but sort of confusing to start...)
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THEME: DOUBLE BLIND (59A: Kind of experiment ... or a hint to 10 Down answers in this puzzle)— you have to be "blind" to the "double" letters in the themers if you want to make sense of those 10 Down clues whose answers run through them. Extra feature 1: those 10 Downs make actual (unclued) words when the double letters are in place. Extra feature 2: the double letters, taken singly and in order, spell CLONES, which I guess double ... letters ... are?
Theme answers:
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The construction is impressive, in a way, and definitely thoughtful. That is, it seems carefully crafted (e.g. all Downs are actual answers whether double letters are in place or not, and there are *no* double letters in the grid besides the ones that are in the themers). But for me the theme doesn't snap. That is, it's trying to do so much that it gets a little confusing. Like, is the "double" referring to the double letters, or the fact that those double letters appear *twice* in each themer, or both? And the double letters spell CLONES ... why? Just for fun. I assume that's part of the theme, but I'm not sure. Also, many many people will miss that element. I've seen puzzles like this before, where constructors get real enamored of *all* their ideas for one puzzle, and put them all in rather than construct a puzzle where the concept is tight and the revealer really lands. So this was admirable but not terribly enjoyable for me, largely because it seems messy, and like solver enjoyment and conceptual tightness were ignored as constructors indulged themselves in extra layers of gimmicks.
Had a "how do you spell 'macarons'" moment at 3D: Colorful French cookies (MACAR_ONS). I knew they weren't MACAROONS, but then there seemed to be too many letters ... in the end, this would be the point, but at the beginning, where I was, it was just confusing. Also confusing—and the reason I was quite slow to start—TALE fits at 6D: Whopper (LI_E) and PSST fits at 25D: "Hey there!" ("HIYA!"). Admittedly, the exclamation point in the clue for HIYA shoulda signaled to me that it was being exclaimed, not whispered, but nonetheless, PSST went in and, like TALE before it, really gummed things up. I got my first sense that something was up with the circled letters when ERS or ORS seemed definitely right for 7D: Surgery sites, for short but there were just too many letters. Eventually got almost everything surrounding the circled letters at the front ends of the first two themers, and then ... I honestly don't know how I figured it out. TALE stayed in a long time, as PEARCE looked very right to me for the comic strip guy (never heard of that strip or that guy). Anyway, SOCCER BALLS, HOOTENANNIES, the rest was pretty easy.
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Relative difficulty: Medium?? (it was Easy but sort of confusing to start...)
THEME: DOUBLE BLIND (59A: Kind of experiment ... or a hint to 10 Down answers in this puzzle)— you have to be "blind" to the "double" letters in the themers if you want to make sense of those 10 Down clues whose answers run through them. Extra feature 1: those 10 Downs make actual (unclued) words when the double letters are in place. Extra feature 2: the double letters, taken singly and in order, spell CLONES, which I guess double ... letters ... are?
Theme answers:
- SOCCER BALLS
- HOOTENANNIES
- "I'M SPEECHLESS"
- The affected Downs: LI(C)E, OR(C)S; MI(L)NE, UN(L)IT; (O)PAL, MACAR(O)ONS; (N)OVA(E), U(N)DON(E); ARE(S), MAR(S)
Big Nate is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Lincoln Peirce. Originally launched on January 6, 1991, the comic has since inspired book collections and theatrical performances. // Big Nate follows the adventures and misadventures of Nate Wright, a spirited and rebellious sixth-grader, along with his best friends, Francis and Teddy. Other characters include a variety of teachers at Public School 38 and other people and animals in the fictional town of Rackleff, Maine. Nate is portrayed as a boy with little interest in studies or conforming to standards. The lack of interest leads him into several conflicts with his social studies teacher Mrs. Godfrey, whom he considers his nemesis. Peirce also focuses on Nate's home life and friendships. (wikipedia)
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Had a "how do you spell 'macarons'" moment at 3D: Colorful French cookies (MACAR_ONS). I knew they weren't MACAROONS, but then there seemed to be too many letters ... in the end, this would be the point, but at the beginning, where I was, it was just confusing. Also confusing—and the reason I was quite slow to start—TALE fits at 6D: Whopper (LI_E) and PSST fits at 25D: "Hey there!" ("HIYA!"). Admittedly, the exclamation point in the clue for HIYA shoulda signaled to me that it was being exclaimed, not whispered, but nonetheless, PSST went in and, like TALE before it, really gummed things up. I got my first sense that something was up with the circled letters when ERS or ORS seemed definitely right for 7D: Surgery sites, for short but there were just too many letters. Eventually got almost everything surrounding the circled letters at the front ends of the first two themers, and then ... I honestly don't know how I figured it out. TALE stayed in a long time, as PEARCE looked very right to me for the comic strip guy (never heard of that strip or that guy). Anyway, SOCCER BALLS, HOOTENANNIES, the rest was pretty easy.
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]