Dan Solovay
Burlington MA
Lots of elegant touches in the fill. 37A could be FLY but is FLU, leading to USS. That makes you realize 38D’s bow is the ship part, not clothing part, hinted at by 47A’s SPRIT, with which it shares the S. And of course the alliteration with DIDSO and DUNEZO. A gem.
@Steve congrats! Warning: those gold stars are addictive.
Very cute theme.
For Daniel Bodily’s question: “What do you think? Do the extra visual cues in this puzzle enhance or detract from your solving experience? Please let me know in the comments.” I enjoyed the yellow circles. It was very satisfying when the mystery cracked.
Such fun. I let out a very long ohhhhhhhhh when I realized what was going on, when seeing 51D could be CODES. The passage from confusion to comprehension never stops being a delight. And congrats to Daniel Bodily on getting a 15x14 grid accepted. We are in AREA FIFTY ONE indeed!
@Barry Ancona Technically correct, but we use it the way we use other Latin expressions like “etc.” and “et al.”, that are abbreviations. And it seems unlikely that “In re:” would have become so established as an expression if it didn’t align with “regarding”. So a permissible description in my view. It certainly wouldn’t confuse anyone, even if slightly imprecise.
@Barry Ancona If we are going to engage in the noble act of picking nits, she said it was “used” as an abbreviation, not that it *was* an abbreviation. And she is, without any doubt, correct.
10D seems to be cut off after the word “and” for me. App issue? Congratulations on the debut, Ryan!
@RSA agree. A cluing miss.
Fun theme. I need someone to explain 112D. How are TIPS “Tax code issues”? Not clicking for me.
@Patrick J. Bingo! Felling smarter now. Crossword brain was failing me.
And I must say, 31D is a fabulous clue. Bravo!
@Barry Ancona thanks, I see the comments now. I scanned earlier, but without comment search it takes some commitment to find things.
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