Constructor: Lynn Lempel
Relative difficulty: Medium-Challenging (should've been a Tuesday)
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THEME: Who Killed Waldo and Then Hid His Dismembered Body in Some Theme Answers? — rearranged letters in WALDO can be round in consecutive circled squares inside four theme answers, as indicated by the clue to the revealer, "WHERE'S WALDO?" (58A: Popular children's book series … whose protagonist is "hiding" in the circled letters)
Theme answers:
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Well the grid is good—lots of interesting, lively fill—but the theme is botched completely, so I can't give this one a pass. Two problems make this theme D.O.A. First, Waldo isn't "hiding" in the "circled letters" (as the clue states). If anything, he's "hiding" inside the answers proper, and the circles are giving away his damned location. Seriously, worst hiding ever, Waldo. So, phrasing-wise, the clue is just wrong. Second, he's not hiding so much as he is dismembered. The axe murderer has "hidden" Waldo's body inside four different theme answers. If I accept this puzzle's premise, then the word "hiding" just loses all meaning. So, to recap—he's "hiding" in the answers, not the circled letters, and *he's* not hiding—his mangled body is.
Once again the puzzle is mismatched with its day of the week. Apparently last week was not an aberration. No idea what is going on at test-solving central, but there appear to be some quality control issues. The puzzle was certainly easy, in absolute terms, but the theme answers mostly took some piecing together (the theme type felt more T than M) and relatively open corners meant that slightly more exertion went into this than typically goes into a Monday (in time terms, this means about I was a good 30 seconds off my average—an eternity where easy puzzles are concerned). I liked the double-"Tootsie" clues (Dorothy's FALSIES and WIG) and FRUMPY and COVETOUS and DREAMY certainly pep things up adjectivally. I might've been slightly faster if a. I'd known CAROB was a tree (50D: Tree that yields a chocolate substitute), and b. I'd read that clue completely (eye just picked up "chocolate" and "tree" and thus went with COCOA and then CACAO (?)). Overall, the puzzle was funnish, but the theme's just broken.
Relative difficulty: Medium-Challenging (should've been a Tuesday)
THEME: Who Killed Waldo and Then Hid His Dismembered Body in Some Theme Answers? — rearranged letters in WALDO can be round in consecutive circled squares inside four theme answers, as indicated by the clue to the revealer, "WHERE'S WALDO?" (58A: Popular children's book series … whose protagonist is "hiding" in the circled letters)
Theme answers:
- SUPER BOWL AD (17A: Expensive annual commercial)
- COLD WATER (25A: What may be poured on a bad idea)
- MEADOWLANDS (36A: New Jersey home to two New York teams)
- SLOW DANCE (49A: Typical prom concluder)
Sedona /sɨˈdoʊnə/ is a city that straddles the county line between Coconinoand Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the State of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 10,031.Sedona's main attraction is its array of red sandstone formations. The formations appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun. The red rocks form a popular backdrop for many activities, ranging from spiritual pursuits to the hundreds of hiking and mountain biking trails.Sedona was named after Sedona Arabella Miller Schnebly (1877–1950), the wife of Theodore Carlton Schnebly, the city's first postmaster, who was celebrated for her hospitality and industriousness. (wikipedia)
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Once again the puzzle is mismatched with its day of the week. Apparently last week was not an aberration. No idea what is going on at test-solving central, but there appear to be some quality control issues. The puzzle was certainly easy, in absolute terms, but the theme answers mostly took some piecing together (the theme type felt more T than M) and relatively open corners meant that slightly more exertion went into this than typically goes into a Monday (in time terms, this means about I was a good 30 seconds off my average—an eternity where easy puzzles are concerned). I liked the double-"Tootsie" clues (Dorothy's FALSIES and WIG) and FRUMPY and COVETOUS and DREAMY certainly pep things up adjectivally. I might've been slightly faster if a. I'd known CAROB was a tree (50D: Tree that yields a chocolate substitute), and b. I'd read that clue completely (eye just picked up "chocolate" and "tree" and thus went with COCOA and then CACAO (?)). Overall, the puzzle was funnish, but the theme's just broken.