Constructor: Robyn Weintraub
Relative difficulty: Easy
![]()
THEME: none
Word of the Day: Big SUR (22A: Big part of California?) —
Starting to wonder if there's such a thing as *too* smooth. Only Robyn Weintraub could make me think that. I have absolutely no complaints about this puzzle, but it felt like almost an overcorrection from yesterday. I struggled yesterday, for reasons that I occasionally found unappealing (fussy / awkward cluing on short answers that made theme answers hard(er) to see). Today, I didn't struggle at all, and while the overall experience was more enjoyable, I did miss the struggle, a little. It seemed like there were lots of clues designed to throw you off, but they never threw me off much. So I loved seeing many of the longer answers here, but never really felt like I *earned* them. Maybe the very conventional grid shape is muting my response as well. I honestly don't know. I should probably just be grateful that I get to experience a grid this lively and clean. Ever. I do think "YOU GUESSED IT!" and PLAY PHONE TAG are absolute gems, and some of the clues are winners as well (my favorite today was probably 19A: What follows both the living and dead? (END)—"the living end" / "dead end" ... something about how the clue reads perfectly, but the lack of "the" before "dead" makes the wordplay part of the clue work perfectly as well; "the living" before one "end," but just "dead" before the other ... the purposeful omission of the definite article in the clue is a subtle little thing that I find really pleasing). The only thing I can think of that was at all off-putting was seeing the attempted "Temple" misdirection on DORM for the umpteenth time (51D: Temple building) and seeing GRETA Gerwig in the puzzle, today of all days! (20A: Oscar-nominated director Gerwig). Feels very close to sponcon (i.e. sponsored content). Thankfully, the puzzle didn't go full "Barbie" promotion (the way the entire rest of the commercial world seems to have gone). She's a major director and I'm usually happy to see her. I'm just looking to find even the slightest respite from the "Barbie" promotional juggernaut. Apparently it is impossible. Anyway, famously (very famously, inescapably, tyrannically) "Barbie" (directed by GRETA Gerwig) opens today. So does "Oppenheimer." I saw BARBENHEIMER in a puzzle this week. Resistance is futile. (Also, second reminder this week: GRETA Lee exists)
"?" clues are generally less transparent and harder to solve than straightforward clues, but despite having many of them thrown at me today, I barely batted an eye. Both long Acrosses up top have them, but I'd already hit the short Down crosses before ever looking at the Across clues, so both of them went straight in—they're both cute, but they impeded progress not at all. Similar things happened with the "?" clues on SLEEPWALKER (22D: One who's out and about?) and PLAY PHONE TAG (21D: Exchange rings?). The clue on NAVY SEALS (33D: Highly trained body) is actually tougher than any of the "?" clues, but even there, I had the "VYS" in place before I ever saw the clue, so the answer went right in. The hardest clue for me today was (hilariously, improbably) the one on ABS (9D: Core group). Seems like it should have a "?" on it. In fact, this may be the only time I've said this, but I think a "?" would've made the clue *easier*. Usually when the surface meaning of the clue is a very familiar thing, when the clue itself is a familiar phrase, but it's being used in an unfamiliar / wordplay-type way, you get a "?", but not today. There's no real consistency to the way question marks are deployed in clues, just as there's no real consistency to the way abbrevs. are indicated (or whether they're indicated at all) (see yesterday for a good example of the abbrev. issue). You just have to keep your wits about you, and this gets truer the later you go into the solving week.
Relative difficulty: Easy
Word of the Day: Big SUR (22A: Big part of California?) —
Big Sur (/ˈsɜːr/) is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur has been called the "longest and most scenic stretch of undeveloped coastline in the contiguous United States", a sublime "national treasure that demands extraordinary procedures to protect it from development", and "one of the most beautiful coastlines anywhere in the world, an isolated stretch of road, mythic in reputation". The views, redwood forests, hiking, beaches, and other recreational opportunities have made Big Sur a popular destination for visitors from across the world. With 4.5 to 7 million visitors annually, it is among the top tourist destinations in the United States, comparable to Yosemite National Park, but with considerably fewer services, and less parking, roads, and related infrastructure. (wikipedia)
• • •
 |
| [ARAKI—another director whose name would look good in the grid] |
"?" clues are generally less transparent and harder to solve than straightforward clues, but despite having many of them thrown at me today, I barely batted an eye. Both long Acrosses up top have them, but I'd already hit the short Down crosses before ever looking at the Across clues, so both of them went straight in—they're both cute, but they impeded progress not at all. Similar things happened with the "?" clues on SLEEPWALKER (22D: One who's out and about?) and PLAY PHONE TAG (21D: Exchange rings?). The clue on NAVY SEALS (33D: Highly trained body) is actually tougher than any of the "?" clues, but even there, I had the "VYS" in place before I ever saw the clue, so the answer went right in. The hardest clue for me today was (hilariously, improbably) the one on ABS (9D: Core group). Seems like it should have a "?" on it. In fact, this may be the only time I've said this, but I think a "?" would've made the clue *easier*. Usually when the surface meaning of the clue is a very familiar thing, when the clue itself is a familiar phrase, but it's being used in an unfamiliar / wordplay-type way, you get a "?", but not today. There's no real consistency to the way question marks are deployed in clues, just as there's no real consistency to the way abbrevs. are indicated (or whether they're indicated at all) (see yesterday for a good example of the abbrev. issue). You just have to keep your wits about you, and this gets truer the later you go into the solving week.
I thought 1A: "Don't be ___" (SILLY) was something like "A FOOL" but SAFE took care of that (1D: Call upon arriving home, maybe). I also wrote in GAPES before GASPS (25D: Amazed reactions) and LITHO (!) before LOTTO (27D: Kind of drawing). It took me a bit to come up with the DAYS part of SNOW DAYS, mostly because nothing in the clue indicated a plural (40A: Possible result of a major fall). SNOW DAYS are, collectively, a result (singular) of a snow ... fall. Got it! What else? Oh, I had ONE YARD LINE at 10D: Boundary for "first and goal" plays (TEN YARD LINE). I just wasn't processing what "boundary" meant. I think I was thinking of the "yard line" that was closest to the end zone (the most significant "boundary" on a football field). But no. It's just that any first down that starts inside the (boundary of) TEN YARD LINE puts you in a "first and goal" situation. You probably don't have to be NANCY DREW to figure that out, but I thought I'd (try to) explain it anyway. Talk to you again soon.