In a word...clever.
17A: INK (cephalopod spray). This is probably the first crossword puzzle in history that has that as an answer. Maybe JimH will have something to say about that.25A: IN (social advantage).
43A: I (personal pronoun).
57A: - (disappearing ink).
I told you it was clever.
But Edward Sessa didn't stop with that. Some of his nontheme answers are pretty fine...
10A: In a frenzy (amok), 15A: Vacuous (inane), 21A: Vetoes (nixes), 23A: River in a 1957 hit film (Kwai), 42A: Shot with lots of English (massé )...that has to do with billiards, 5D: Of a son or daughter (filial), 6D: It may cause a coma (anoxia)...literally, without oxygen, 10D: Herb of A & M Records (Alpert), 30D: Dispatch boat (aviso), 41D: Coral producer (polyp)...this kind, not the tissue growth, 45D: Ptolemy's lighthouse locale (Pharos), and 56D: Show unfairly (skew).I was happy to see 37A: Marshmallow candies in Easter baskets (Pe
eps). I spent the last ten minutes searching for my favorite video of Peeps in the microwave, but I can't find a really good one. For real fun, do it yourself. Put a Peep (the chicken works best...but don't include the chocolate egg) on a plate, microwave on high for 10 seconds. Don't blink or you might miss the best part. I was going to add that they're not really edible after that...but there are some who think they could never be called that. I happen to like Peeps...in moderation. Like maybe one every three years.Jean Arp appears frequently as an answer in the grid. Today's variation is 1A: Movement branded as "anti-art" (Dada).
Favorite clues...14A: They can be inflated (egos), 61A: Finger, in a way (rat on), 3D: Bonehead (dope), 13D: Drop for the count (Kayo), 26D: Nostalgic number (oldie) and 42D: No-brainer? (moron).
I'm happy to say that Don survived yet another tax season...his most grueling ever. We went out to our favorite Italian restaurant...after a good meal and a couple of glasses of vino, he's sound asleep in the big chair with Barnabas. He'll take the rest of this week off...hopefully most of next week as well. If you know someone who is interested in buying a successful accounting practice in western Colorado, let me know.
[Update: Something is definitely wrong between Blogger and Madness. I've received emails that comments are just disappearing (funny with ink...not with comments) when they're sent to publish. Some get through...others don't. I need to get this straightened out.]
Here's the grid...
...and I'll see you tomorrow.
Linda G
5 comments:
Email from KarmaSartre:
Sorry, but my entry vanished (again) tonight. Something is definitely amiss.
Funny thing abut the puzzle theme -- I didn't get it all, but as soon as I saw the four answers listed on your blog, it became obvious.
Very cleverly done by Mr. Sessa, I thought.
RE. not finding your videos of peeps in the Microwave, I bet you don't keep your videos in there!!!
Enjoyed your writeup as usual Linda. When I clicked on your PEEPS link got the message "Firefox doesn't know how to open this address" etc.. Thanks for the MASSE explanation-don't play billiards and didn't get it. Ciao.
I thought this one was fairly easy, but I didn't get the theme until I saw it the way you presented it. Very clever! I
I've had some problems posting comments too. letas see if this one shows up.
Not only was this the first time CEPHALOPODSPRAY made the puzzle, we've never even seen CEPHALOPOD before.
I really liked this crossword.
This dweeb (sessa) has struck again, the May 31 edition in the Chi trib smart section, some pretty bad clues.
Clues are supposed to follow some consistent theme, not the most tenuous possible connection.
clue: "20-20 observation" Answer:"its a tie" (without the spaces of course). Come on, go back to beating your kids for ending sentences in a preposition or whatever... keep your LSD addled allusions all to yourself.
Crosswords in the paper are supposed to be fun. I don't mind when i can't finish one, but not when the clues are outre.
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