Constructor: Anne Grae Martin
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (5:21 for me)
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THEME: LITTLE RED (63A: Phrase that can precede the starts of 17-, 25-, 40- and 50-Across)— the first word of each theme answer can follow "Little Red" to create a new phrase from history and/or culture.
Word of the Day: F-ZERO (56D: Nintendo series with high-speed racers) —![]()
Theme answers:
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium (5:21 for me)
THEME: LITTLE RED (63A: Phrase that can precede the starts of 17-, 25-, 40- and 50-Across)— the first word of each theme answer can follow "Little Red" to create a new phrase from history and/or culture.
Word of the Day: F-ZERO (56D: Nintendo series with high-speed racers) —
F-Zero[a] is a series of futuristic racing video games originally created by Nintendo EAD with multiple games developed by outside companies. The first game was released for the Super Famicom in Japan in 1990, and along with North America’s Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991; its success prompted Nintendo to create multiple sequels on subsequent gaming consoles.[1]
The series is known for its high-speed racing, characters and settings, difficult gameplay, and original music, as well as for pushing technological limits to be one of the fastest racing games. The original title inspired the creation of games such as Daytona USA[2] and the Wipeout series.
• • •
Hello there, Tom Quigley here in my first time as substitute for Rex in the final days of his vacation. In college I had a recurring dream where I accidentally signed up for a class that I was wholly unqualified and unprepared for, and wouldn't realize it until it was time to take the final exam. Reading each day's recap over the last few weeks has brought me right back to those stressful nights. Now here I am amongst seasoned veterans, crossword constructors, classical pianists, and solvers who's times put mine to shame, all to review a puzzle that was completely out of my wheelhouse. Anyway, to quote Chairman Mao, "Let's get this freakin' party started!"
Theme answers:
- BOOKSMART (17A: Educated, but not streetwise)
- Little Red Book, or Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung
- HENBERRIES (25A: Eggs, in diner slang)
- Little Red Hen, an American fable first printed in 1874
- SCHOOLHOUSEROCK (40A: Kids' educational TV series of the 1970s-'90s)
- Little Red Schoolhouse, a general term for a one-room school
- WAGONWHEEL (50A: What turns on a farm vehicle)
- Little Red Wagon, either another name for the classic Radio Flyer, or a 2015 Miranda Lambert single
The theme answers themselves are all strong, though I don't usually think of wagons as "farm vehicles," and there's a classic country song sitting right there for the taking. The fill was solid, I don't think I cringed at anything other than TUDES (57D: Sassy behaviors, in slang), which just has an unsettling mouth-feel.
Bullets:![]()
Signed, Tom Quigley, Serf of CrossWorld
Bullets:
- LEFT (54A: Exited) — Reading this clue as "Excited," combined with no knowledge of F-Zero, added a solid 20 seconds to my time.
- SETS (70A: Some volleyball actions) — Congratulations to Team USA for winning gold in Women's Volleyball and Women's Beach Volleyball, now let's all get ready for the Winter Olympics in less than 6 months!
- RAHEEM (Character with a boombox in "Do the Right Thing") — RIP Bill Nunn
