Hey, everyone, it's an Annabel day and boy am I excited! Not only was this a great puzzle, but I went to my first convention this month - Katsucon - and it was loads of fun. I got to meet the creator of one of my favorite webcomics, bought a new poster print for my room, and there were so many amazing costumes! Here I am in mine.*
Constructor: Andrea Carla Michaels
Relative difficulty: Easy
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THEME: "Triple L" — Theme words had three L's.
Theme answers:
Not a lot to say about the theme. Typicalll, simpllle Monday.
Bullets:
["but, first you'll need an LSAT score of more than 174" ...see...posting songs from this musical is totally relevant]
Signed, Annabel Thompson, tired high school student. Live long and prosper. (To Leonard Nimoy's ghost: I'm sorry about that time I put a figurine of you in my shoe.)
Constructor: Andrea Carla Michaels
Relative difficulty: Easy
THEME: "Triple L" — Theme words had three L's.
Theme answers:
- STILL LIFE (17A: Cézanne's "The Basket of Apples," e.g.)
- CALL LETTERS (23A: Radio station identification)
- MELL LAZARUS (51A: "Momma" cartoonist)
- TWO-L LLAMA (61A: "A beast," according to Ogden Nash)
Word of the Day: ECHOS (52D: Pioneering 1960s communications satellites) —
Project Echo was the first passive communications satellite experiment. Each of the two American spacecraft, launched in 1960 and 1964, was a metalizedballoon satellite acting as a passive reflector of microwave signals. Communication signals were bounced off them from one point on Earth to another. The Echo satellite program also provided the astronomical reference points required to accurately locate Moscow. This improved accuracy was sought by the US military for the purpose of targeting intercontinental ballistic missiles. (wikipedia)
Project Echo was the first passive communications satellite experiment. Each of the two American spacecraft, launched in 1960 and 1964, was a metalizedballoon satellite acting as a passive reflector of microwave signals. Communication signals were bounced off them from one point on Earth to another. The Echo satellite program also provided the astronomical reference points required to accurately locate Moscow. This improved accuracy was sought by the US military for the purpose of targeting intercontinental ballistic missiles. (wikipedia)
• • •
Definitely one of the most fun puzzles I've solved in a while. Props to Andrea Carla Michaels for using her own NAMES for that answer's clue (34A: Andrea, Carla and Michael)! Not to mention PHIAL's spelling; never even saw that before. But OHGOD, am I ready for the era of ERA, especially with predictable clues like "measure of time" or "time in history," to be over. Also, I ended up stuck on the northeast corner for a while (for some reason, that corner always trips me up?), but I loved the southwest corner with its proliferation of O's.Not a lot to say about the theme. Typicalll, simpllle Monday.
Bullets:
- 61A: "A beast," according to Ogden Nash (TWOLLLAMAS) — Okay, how could I see this and not address the fact that the llamas got lloose in Arizona and everyone talked about it so much that #llamadrama becomes a trending hashtag (the best ever, in my opinion) on Twitter? I mean, come on. The llamas were even crossword colors. Here, have a 26-minute long video of the llama chase...because apparently that exists.
| [but the best part is that I rode on a llama at Homestead Gardens once] |
- 31A: Layered hairstyle (SHAG) — I had honestly never heard of a shag before doing this puzzle and had to guess at this one for a while. My mom was shaking her head at me because my sister was watching Scooby-Doo, with Shaggy and his shag haircut, right in front of me. Maybe she's just old. (Rex, don't tell her I said that!!)
- 18A: Exams for future attnys. (LSATS) — Omigod you guys, with this word bisecting EMMETT, Elle Wood's love interest, I just couldn't not post some LEGALLY BLONDE!(This is totally what college is going to be like, right?)
- *9A: Ponzi scheme, e.g. (FRAUD) — Okay, so I didn't actually link to pictures, I just Rickrolled you all. Because, y'know, I'm a fraud. And also because ASTLEY (50D: Rick with the #1 hit "Never Gonna Give You Up") was one of the clues. The Katsucon part wasn't a fraud, though!! That was seriously one of the most fun things I've ever done. I cosplayed (nerd-convention slang for "dressed up as") April Ludgate from Parks and Rec, and my friend was Tom Haverford. Good times.
Shout-out to MELL LAZARUS, the "Momma" cartoonist, because it's my "Momma"'s birthday on Thursday! I'm sure Rex will send her a BFF present.
Signed, Annabel Thompson, tired high school student. Live long and prosper. (To Leonard Nimoy's ghost: I'm sorry about that time I put a figurine of you in my shoe.)