Constructor: Katie Hale
Relative difficulty: Easy (very very)
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THEME:"Because I Said So!"— themers are just things parents say to their kids (mostly disciplinary); these are clued wackily ("?"-style) as various occupations'"go-to parenting phrase"s:
Theme answers:
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Wow, really thought "Jardins d'enfants" was gonna be some famous school, but it's just a literal French translation of "kindergarten." Bizarre ... why didn't they do what we did and just steal the German word? Annnnyway, that answer and HUDDIE (what in the actual heck!?) and RENI (same!) were just about the only answers to give me even a moment's trouble in this otherwise absurdly easy Sunday puzzle. I see how the theme clues are trying to turn this puzzle into something more than just "Things Parents Say," but the problem is, once you realize the answers are just gonna be "Things Parents Say," not only do you not need the theme clues, you're almost better off without them. I didn't bother looking at any of them after I got the first couple of theme and answers, and I'm really glad I didn't, because they would've been more distracting than helpful. What the hell does a "mathematician" have to do with "I'VE TOLD YOU A HUNDRED TIMES!"? Like, because there's a number in there, all of a sudden it's part of the math profession now? Like everyday ordinary human beings don't use numbers? Baffling. And "DON'T USE THAT TONE WITH ME!" feels more apt for an art teacher than a conductor. I associate a conductor more with NOTEs than TONEs. Further, I really wanted that phrase to be "DON'T TAKE THAT TONE WITH ME!," which feels much more on the nose (twice as many hits for "DON'T TAKE" vs. "DON'T USE," per google). I sorta liked turning up all these disciplinary clichés, but this felt more like $100,000 Pyramid ("Things Parents Shout At You!") than a crossword puzzle.
It's time once again for the Boswords Fall Themeless League—a ten-week crossword-solving competition / extravaganza. Here's tournament organizer John Lieb to explain:
Relative difficulty: Easy (very very)
Theme answers:
- "I'LL TURN THIS CAR AROUND!" (22A: Mechanic's go-to parenting phrase?)
- "SIT UP STRAIGHT!" (37A: Personal trainer's go-to parenting phrase?)
- "DON'T USE THAT TONE WITH ME!" (55A: Conductor's go-to parenting phrase?)
- "I TOLD YOU A HUNDRED TIMES!" (79A: Mathematician's go-to parenting phrase?)
- "YOU'RE GROUNDED!" (100A: Air traffic controller's go-to parenting phrase?)
- "LET'S PLAY THE QUIET GAME!" (117A: Librarian's go-to parenting phrase?)
nursery school [noun] a school for very young children. (dictionary.cambridge.com) [so basically it's the Fr. word for "kindergarten"]
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PINK PANTHER and (esp.) TWO LEFT FEET really give this grid some oomph, for sure. Other than those answers, though, there's not a heck of a lot to comment on, good or bad. The grid is reasonably smooth, which is always nice. There are bumps here and there, but none that are that jarring. Beside the aforementioned names, which were from outer space as far as I was concerned, the only part that caused me anything close to trouble was the SW, and that was due almost entirely to the fact that I got the "T" in 125A: GPS calculations (ETAS) and wrote in RTES (this despite feeling, correctly, that I had already written ROUTE in the grid (40D: Road trip determination)). Because of that error, I couldn't see TEA (118D: Hot spot in England?) and I couldn't see "TELL ME!" (98D: "Spill it!"). Plus STARRY wouldn't stretch to fill the space at 92D: Like a clear night (STARLIT), and LAPIS is not a word I ever think of as a standalone thing (don't think I've seen it much without LAZULI in TOW). So yeah, there was some sputtering down in that corner, but there were enough easy answers to help me recover without too much effort. I think that's it. Hope you enjoyed the breezy cuteness of the concept, and hope you got more than 8 minutes enjoyment out of your solving experience (I didn't time myself, but I can't imagine I took that much longer than 8; certainly no more than 10).
["Don't you worry 'bout TWO LEFT FEET!"]
Registration for the Boswords 2022 Fall Themeless League is now open! This 10-week event starts with a Preseason puzzle on Monday, September 26 and features weekly themeless puzzles -- clued at three levels of difficulty -- from an all-star roster of constructors and are edited by Brad Wilber. To register, to solve a practice puzzle, to view the constructor line-up, and to learn more, go to www.boswords.org.I don't compete in these, or I haven't so far, but John always sends me the puzzles once the season is over and they're always highly imaginative and of a very high quality. If you're looking for some reasonably low-key competitive solving experience, all from the comfort of your own home, you should definitely have at it.
See you tomorrow (or next week for you Sundays-only folk),