So I left the puzzle and tended to dinner. After we'd cleaned up the mess, I sat down and knocked it out in a couple of minutes. The confusion that was the northwest completely disappeared.
The theme is "floral" films, and the three theme answers are:
18A: "Floral" film that was the Best Picture of 1989 (Driving Miss Daisy). Jessica Tandy also won Best Actress--the oldest actress to do so. I'd add it to my Netflix queue, but I just cancelled my subscription. Who has time to watch movies when you're addicted to puzzles and blogs?
34A: "Floral" film of 2006 with Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson (The Black Dahlia). I'm trying to figure out where I was in 2006, because I have no recollection of this one. At all.
57A: "Floral" film of 1986 based on an Emberto Eco novel (The Name of the Rose). I vaguely remember the name. Very vaguely.
My first thought was American Beauty, even though it doesn't specifically name a flower...although it does name a variety. But it only fit in 34-Across, it wasn't in 2006, and it didn't star Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson. Other than that, it was perfect. Fortunately, I was able to put the thought aside and carry on.
I don't remember the last time I saw a Monday puzzle with 16-letter answers. For that matter, I don't remember a Monday puzzle with this many words to love...and so few three-letter entries.
5A: Filthy place (pigsty), 16A: Win over (enamor), 26A: "Again!" (encore), 31A: Regional dialect (patois), 43A: Feudal workers (vassals), 55A: System of government (polity), 3D: Easily startled (skittish), 12D: __ d'être (raison), 35D: The Creator, to Hindus (Brahma), 43D: To a huge degree (vastly), 51D: Spritelike (elfin), and 42D: EarthLink alternative (NetZero).
Not to mention the four in a row...5D: Group of five (pentad), 6D: Bar of gold (ingot), 7D: Entire range (gamut) and 8D: Slug, old-style (smite).
The northwest difficulty I mentioned stemmed from a wrong answer at 21A: Ran into. I had hit, rather than the correct met. That made both 1D: ["You'll regret that!"] and 2D: [Written up, as to a superior] very difficult. Once I fixed that mess, I saw bad move and on report. Another good multiword answer at 38D: Noncommittal agreement (I suppose).
13D: State with conviction (assert) made me chuckle. Colorado is a state with conviction...or convictions. I'm guessing that there are forty-nine others.
Not too many abbreviations...just two, and they're related. 10D: 1812, 2001, etc.: Abbr. (yrs) and 58D: Calendar pgs. (mos).
I generally forget what W.B.A. stands for, but I remembered it this time for 33D: W.B.A. decision (TKO).
I enjoyed seeing 36D: Name repeated in "Whatever __ wants, __ gets" (Lola). We saw Damn Yankees when I was in the fifth grade, and it made a big impression on me. I've enjoyed live theatre ever since.
53A: Teacher's favorite (pet) reminded me of a foster child we once had who often referred to (in all seriousness) the teacher's pest.
On that note, I'm gonna scram (54A: "Get lost!"). Here's the grid...
...and I'll see you tomorrow.
Linda G
7 comments:
Hi Linda,
Just wanted to say thanks for posting so early. I like to do the puzzle the night before and I always stop in here first to read what you thought.
And I'll see you tomorrow.
i wish all monday puzzles were this delicious.
i'm gonna SCRAM now, linda. see ya in the past.
Nice and easy.
DITTO on rikki's thanks, Linda. I'm a nighttime solver too, and it's nice to be able to read your blog right after finishing the puzzle.
I loved the crossing of enamor and smite.
I think WBA = World Boxing Association.
rikki and annielee, isn't it hard to believe that some people wait until morning to solve the puzzle? Sometimes I wonder, though, if solving would be easier then because of the morning caffeine shot ; )
Yes to WBA...took me several puzzles to remember that one.
cornbread, delicious was a good descriptor of this one. See you in the past...and in the present at your blog.
This just goes to show you that solvers need not look down their noses at Monday puzzles. Very nice array of words and phrases - SKITTISH and ON REPORT were two favorites.
I solve in the morning with my coffee to get my brain going for the day, I actually wake up earlier than I need to to do this.
I do four sudoku, three CWs (NYT, NYS and Boston Globe), a Jumble, a Jumble CW and the bridge column before getting ready for work.
I know from experience that I can do them faster in the evening but I am trying to go in the opposite direction (brainwise) after work.
If I post more than once, my apoligies. I'm having trouble with the verification.
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