Constructor: Alan Olschwang
Relative difficulty: Medium
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THEME:"Bye-lines"— famous closing-line catchphrases
Theme answers:
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It is comical how badly edited this puzzle is. Sure, we all enjoy these somewhat-to-very familiar catchphrases (even if there are Only Five Of Them), fine. But the fill!? Not just that, but the Absurd crossings. Honestly, I almost never encounter a completely blind cross (aka "Natick") any more, but I had Two today. Total guess at SABENA (1A: Former Belgian national airline) (!?!?!?! "bygone") / ENO (4D: 2005 Drama Pulitzer finalist Will) (!?!?! "finalist") and again, and worse, at EPATHA (49D: S. ___ Merkerson, four-time N.A.A.C.P. Image Award-winning actress) (!? x one million) / ASAS (59A: Old camera settings, for short) (uh… "old"). Indescribably bad fill crossed in ways that are laughably unfair. HA ha. I mean, I guessed right, but I could easily have guessed wrong, in multiple different ways, in both cases. And that's *knowing* ARIANE (2D: Massenet opera based on Greek myth), which … why would you know that? "Greek myth" *barely* helps. We know her as "Ariadne" if we know her at all. The problem with having good xword-making technology nowadays is that you can Really tell when the constructor doesn't use it. I gotta believe using Compiler (PC) or CrossFire (Mac) would've really, really helped iron the absolutely subpar junk out of this puzzle. Don't Be Afraid of Technology. Most constructors simply can't hang, nowadays, without it. It can't make your puzzles good, or smart, or funny, but it sure as hell can keep you from crossing EPATHA and ASAS, my god is that even real or am I still drunk? Wow.
So, theme was easy, fill somewhat less so. [Genus of small rodents], HA ha. That's an actual clue. The answer is MUS! What year is it? Did Will discover Maleska's Last Puzzle under some old books and just decide "oh what the hell? Run it!"? TBEAM!? Seriously, this stuff is making me laugh out loud now. I wrote in COSIN for COTAN, OENONE (?) for ARIANE, and CATTAILS for RATTAILS. I think that covers my major hiccups, anyway. Oh, UOMO for HOMO and IPODMINI for IPODNANO. That's all. Folks. Fingers crossed for a better tomorrow.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
P.S. I liked SURF CITY (9D: Nickname for Huntington Beach, Calif.). A lot.
Relative difficulty: Medium
Theme answers:
- HIYO SILVER, AWAY!
- THE BALCONY IS CLOSED
- TH- TH- TH- TH- THAT'S ALL FOLKS!
- SAY GOODNIGHT, GRACIE
- AND MAY GOD BLESS
Based on earlier research work by Loyd Ancile Jones (1884–1954) of Kodak and inspired by the systems of Weston film speed ratings and General Electric film values, the American Standards Association (now named ANSI) defined a new method to determine and specify film speeds of black-and-white negative films in 1943. ASA Z38.2.1-1943 was revised in 1946 and 1947 before the standard grew into ASA PH2.5-1954. Originally, ASA values were frequently referred to as American standard speed numbers or ASA exposure-index numbers. (See also: Exposure Index (EI).)The ASA scale was arithmetic, that is, a film denoted as having a film speed of 200 ASA was twice as fast as a film with 100 ASA. (wikipedia)
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So, theme was easy, fill somewhat less so. [Genus of small rodents], HA ha. That's an actual clue. The answer is MUS! What year is it? Did Will discover Maleska's Last Puzzle under some old books and just decide "oh what the hell? Run it!"? TBEAM!? Seriously, this stuff is making me laugh out loud now. I wrote in COSIN for COTAN, OENONE (?) for ARIANE, and CATTAILS for RATTAILS. I think that covers my major hiccups, anyway. Oh, UOMO for HOMO and IPODMINI for IPODNANO. That's all. Folks. Fingers crossed for a better tomorrow.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
P.S. I liked SURF CITY (9D: Nickname for Huntington Beach, Calif.). A lot.