Billy

Don’t usually mind puzzles that are more of a challenge, but I think there were too many proper nouns and names in this one. CASS, IOWAN, CAINE, TCBY, CAPE ANN, NIGER, FIDO, CCCP, AER, SUE, UCLA, FEY, ARI, TBS, OWEN, THE DUDE, LECTER, EDYS, GINNIE. While I did know most of these (and enjoyed quite a few), there were a couple that I’d never heard of (I was stuck on CASS, CCCP, TBS and TCBY in the end), and it’s always less satisfying when you have to guess answers to get the star.

Loved the theme of this one, and therefore I’m extra disappointed that it’s let down by some of the filler words and clues here: - don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone refer to a winning party as the INS. I understand the logic but it’s beyond clunky. - I’m struggling to think of an OBTUSER way to describe PSAs than “spot for charity, say, in brief”. That’s just inanely vague. - a HD TV SET is not a thing. It’s either a HD TV or a TV SET. - never heard of “snow jobs” in my life. Sounds horribly suggestive. - KEEN is not a word I would ever use to replace “Neato!”. Who even says “Neato!” anymore? - RIESEN and not REESES is just cruel at this point. I’m now expected to know niche German chocolate brands? - “u slay me” and ROFL are generationally disparate phrases. The only way someone could think these are synonymous is if they’ve never been online. - PARI-mutuel betting? What do you take me for? An encyclopaedia? - “so-called” and “Civilised” for CHOCTAW are just outdated colonial BS. - AH ME sounds biblically old. - URBS reads like an infant trying to spell herbs. Never heard of her either. I understand that it’s insanely difficult trying to construct a grid with a theme as complex as this but, imo, if the cost of said theme is losing the joy of the solve, it’s not worth it.

Started out quite liking this one but became disappointed in the end. Positives first. Personal favourites were PHONES HOME, DEBATE CONTESTS, RIVER SEINE (Sunday Afternoon is one of my favourite art pieces) and IN FOREVER. I also loved being able to use my esoteric knowledge of world capitals for NUUK, and while I had to get all the crosses for ZARFS, I revel in coming across new words. That being said, there were too many clunky clues and entries for me to enjoy this one. LITTLE OL ME is fine I guess, but it seems odd to shorten one adjective and not the other. I've always used second string rather than SECOND STRINGER, and perhaps it's because I'm British but I don't understand the EVEN STEVEN cluing at all, even after googling. If a game is "7 up", I'd assume it means one team is 7 ahead. If both teams have 7 points, to me, that'd be "7 all". The clue for IN TWO ACTS also vexed me, as I don't see how the two are interchangable. Imagine asking "how is this play divided?" and receiving the answer "getting a break". Huh? I also fail to see how ROLLS is akin to "Triumphs smoothly"; I've never heard it used in this way, and after checking a few dictionaries, neither have they. Some more EPT clues would have been appreciated, or should I say apt, considering that's the word people actually use in this century, and Merriam Webster only defines EPT as "excess-profits tax". In sum, a potentially fun solve that has sadly been bogged down with inaccurate and inept cluing.

Found this slightly more difficult than recent Fridays, but it did end in a more satisfying finish (once I finally got there). Loved most of the long answers in this: LIVE WIRES, LET ME AT EM, NEEDLE DROP, BANANA SEAT and APE COSTUME were all very fun (I particularly enjoyed entering BANANA above APE). Wish I could say the same for SEA GRAPES ("green caviar" is slightly out of my tax bracket, so I've never heard of the variety). The SE corner in general was, for me, the bane of this solve. I began with BEGOT, not BEGAT, and was unfamiliar with TELUGU. For "magician's accessory" I trial and errored CANE, CAGE and even HARE (when one runs out of white rabbits, naturally) before finally landing on CAPE and picturing Liberacci and Dracula magic shows. MODEL T had me thinking MODEST and FOREST before realising it was a split answer. I also didn't see DOES until I had OES, and was imagining something a tad less pedestrian for "pulls off". VACANT LOT and NIT were my final entries. I am blissfully unaware when it comes to basketball competitions, and I couldn't get VACAY out of my head for "here goes nothing!", but I had no idea how that would pair with LOT. I think my reasoning was blanking out a calendar for personal days? Mostly enjoyable, however, and I always feel more accomplished solving grids with an above-average count of long entries. Bravo Maddy!

Water puzzle! Loved it, despite making so many mistakes: - I had H TWO O instead of WATER for far too long - I didn't realise that the H's were also rebuses for WATER until I got RAINH and thought about it for a second - I also thought DRACO might be PLATO (despite never hearing of him pass laws or being particularly ruthless) until I thought of the term "Draconian". Despite being a fairly big HP fan I never put that term and Malfoy's name together - if there's anything JKR loves more than TERFing, it's on-the-nose names. - I had INDIE for ODDER for a while as I assumed the "relatively" was simply nodding to a regular adjective, not a comparative form. - I also had HOLLY for ERICA (which went disastrously with the H TWO O right under it), and didn't get this one until close to the end as I assumed it was from the Italian Eroica (as in Beethoven's symphonies, meaning "heroic"). My mistake. Other thoughts: - Never heard of SHARENTING before but I instantly hate it. Thanks. - My only critique is that I didn't love the cluing for DIRE. In my book, if something is DIRE, it's already disastrous. The inclusion of "presaging" made me think of omens and foreboding right up until I got three letters, and then I had to go through the alphabet for the fourth. Overall though, a fun solve. Finishing this was like quaffing a tall glass of caret-shaped compounds after a long walk through the desert.

Very tidy and enjoyable Tuesday puzzle. I never realised how many metaphors there are for an easy task/decision. I personally don’t see a problem with the clue for FAKE NEWS. “Misinformation” is a synonym for fake, and “media” is a form of news circulation. Whilst I get that people are saying the term has taken on a new meaning due to its misuse by right wingers, it’s literal definition has not changed. We can’t start changing language simply because some of us are too stupid to use it correctly. I hold more umbrage for how much NEATO is appearing lately, however. Makes me feel like I’m living in a 50s sitcom. Can we please give this one a breather for a bit? Would be much appreciated.

Quite cool to have both AXLE as an answer in the same grid as a Guns n' Roses clue. Very clever theme and enjoyable solve. The only parts I struggled with were the NW corner as I had LYFT for a while instead of TAXI and couldn't figure out anything else. I also couldn't get HES for "Bucks and bulls" until I got ABASE (I kept thinking HEN? HEW? HEM? until I realised I should've been conferring personhood to said animals). Otherwise, a fun puzzle.

Odd combination of some of the most straightforward clues I’ve ever seen in a Thursday puzzle, alongside one of the most obscure words I’ve ever come across (AODAI?). Finished this in record time, and had about 80% done in half of that, so it was eerily breezy for a “tricky” crossword.

Really enjoyed this one! Was going for a record time as I solved about 75% of this fairly quickly, but the SW corner really slowed me down. I had RETURN for “good market news” and ERST for “Ex”, so trying to figure out “satisfactory” and “epic beginning” took its toll. It didn’t help that I assumed “needing no script” wouldn’t be an abbreviation considering there isn’t one in the clue, but I guess I just have to learn that this is not a hard and fast rule.

Loved the theme but I'm failing to see how "fire" = CAN?

What’s William Tell’s bedtime? Ten to ten, ten to ten, ten to ten ten ten …