Constructor: Peter A. Collins
Relative difficulty: Right for a Wednesday
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THEME: What am I, liver that you have chopped? -- the letters LIVER appear consecutively in some order in each theme entry
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Word of the Day:SHERPA (51D: Everest guide) —
Theme answers:
So we're hitting a lot of familiar theme types this week, which isn't a crime. Monday we had an amusing initials reveal, yesterday we had phrases-starting-with-words-that-can-precede-X, and today we've got a shuffled string with an apt reveal. Nothing wrong with this, but to give you an example of what an above-average rendition of this idea looks like, check out Byron Walden's NYT from March 26th of this year.
There he had the letters RINSE appearing in each of five theme entries, but instead of just being mixed up randomly like here, they cycled around like they were in the washing machine: ERINS, SERIN, NSERI, INSER, and then finally RINSE as part of the reveal answer RINSE CYCLE. And they were stacked one on top of the other so it visually looked like they were in a washing machine.
Those subtle extras! That's what gets you a Crossword of the Month nomination.
Now the way it's done here is fine, but it's just LIVER in any order. Those are letters that work well together, so not many constraints: SILVER anything would work, for example. But he chose four good ones and the reveal is good, so don't let me ruin your solve with all this extra information.
I nominate the fifth row of this puzzle as the most American row in any crossword I've ever seen. You think your crossword row is American? Well this one's got AOL, ASL and then USA baby! Top that. I did not think so.
Nice long stuff, EXAMPLES of which are: full name tennis legend ROD LAVER (one letter away from 'liver'), YEAR ONE, LIVEN UP, ROSSINI, IN TOTO, AS IT IS, and word of the day SHERPA. Note the amusingly symmetrical ZIG and ZAG; worth INT, RETAG, and TRA in the upper-right? Sure, why not...you gotta have a little fun with your roped-off corners once in a while. Of course REX (43D) is gone the week his name's in the grid.
This is the best puzzle of the week so far, and I'm giving it a B. Theme is solid and reveal is apt and mildly humorous, and the grid is well done, wide-open and with an acceptable amount of subpar fill (especially for five theme entries -- third day in a row we've seen that many).
Signed, Matt Gaffney, Regent of Crossworld for three more days
Relative difficulty: Right for a Wednesday
THEME: What am I, liver that you have chopped? -- the letters LIVER appear consecutively in some order in each theme entry
Word of the Day:SHERPA (51D: Everest guide) —
Sherpas are highly regarded as elite mountaineers and experts in their local terrain. They were immeasurably valuable to early explorers of the Himalayan region, serving as guides at the extreme altitudes of the peaks and passes in the region, particularly for expeditions to climb Mount Everest. Today, the term is often used by foreigners to refer to almost any guide, climbing supporter or porter hired for mountaineering expeditions in the Himalayas, regardless of their ethnicity. Because of this usage, the term has become a slang byword for a guide or mentor in other situations.[9] Sherpas are renowned in the international climbing and mountaineering community for their hardiness, expertise, and experience at very high altitudes.--Wikipedia
• • •
I tried to play the same theme-guessing game today that I did on Monday. Saw that SUPERVILLAIN, SAVILE ROW (nice entry) and NAVEL RING all had a V, but couldn't put it all together without the reveal. As it should be mid-week! Theme guessing is for Mondays.
I tried to play the same theme-guessing game today that I did on Monday. Saw that SUPERVILLAIN, SAVILE ROW (nice entry) and NAVEL RING all had a V, but couldn't put it all together without the reveal. As it should be mid-week! Theme guessing is for Mondays.
Theme answers:
- SUPERVILLAIN (20A: Lex Luthor, notably)
- SAVILE ROW (31A: High-end tailoring area in London)
- NAVEL RING (38A: Belly dancer's decoration)
- DEVIL RAYS (49A:Tropicana Field team renamed in 2008)
- CHOPPED LIVER (58A: What's found on some canapés (and hiding in the answers to 20-, 31-, 38- and 49-Across?)
So we're hitting a lot of familiar theme types this week, which isn't a crime. Monday we had an amusing initials reveal, yesterday we had phrases-starting-with-words-that-can-precede-X, and today we've got a shuffled string with an apt reveal. Nothing wrong with this, but to give you an example of what an above-average rendition of this idea looks like, check out Byron Walden's NYT from March 26th of this year.
There he had the letters RINSE appearing in each of five theme entries, but instead of just being mixed up randomly like here, they cycled around like they were in the washing machine: ERINS, SERIN, NSERI, INSER, and then finally RINSE as part of the reveal answer RINSE CYCLE. And they were stacked one on top of the other so it visually looked like they were in a washing machine.
Those subtle extras! That's what gets you a Crossword of the Month nomination.
Now the way it's done here is fine, but it's just LIVER in any order. Those are letters that work well together, so not many constraints: SILVER anything would work, for example. But he chose four good ones and the reveal is good, so don't let me ruin your solve with all this extra information.
I nominate the fifth row of this puzzle as the most American row in any crossword I've ever seen. You think your crossword row is American? Well this one's got AOL, ASL and then USA baby! Top that. I did not think so.
Nice long stuff, EXAMPLES of which are: full name tennis legend ROD LAVER (one letter away from 'liver'), YEAR ONE, LIVEN UP, ROSSINI, IN TOTO, AS IT IS, and word of the day SHERPA. Note the amusingly symmetrical ZIG and ZAG; worth INT, RETAG, and TRA in the upper-right? Sure, why not...you gotta have a little fun with your roped-off corners once in a while. Of course REX (43D) is gone the week his name's in the grid.
This is the best puzzle of the week so far, and I'm giving it a B. Theme is solid and reveal is apt and mildly humorous, and the grid is well done, wide-open and with an acceptable amount of subpar fill (especially for five theme entries -- third day in a row we've seen that many).
Signed, Matt Gaffney, Regent of Crossworld for three more days