Allan
Canberra
Not american so it may be a more common term in America. But ARTICS? Even searching the term doesn't really come up with much, apart from cold weather boots. Seems like an odd clue.
Super fun. Exactly what a Monday (and most crosswords) should be. No real trivia to look up. Answers make sense without making you say "Come on". Plus there was enough crosses that even for the stranger ones it was still doable. Loved it.
Gael is honestly one of those absurd crossword answers that no one is going to use in reality and it just makes it tedious. Someone from the Isle of Man is Manx. Gael is a grouping of people who have been in the Isle of Man, but it's also Ireland and Scotland. A linking to St Mary's would have fit in with the other college reference in the crossword.
Personally never heard the phrase HUE AND CRY, although I assume that's on me. Enjoyed it overall. Tricked myself with the German Sub question because I again assumed that Uboat would be too simple, and the fighting section made me think DIVED, even if that isn't accurate. Nice first crossword.
Enjoyed it overall although Lhasa for Asian Capital seemed a bit off. Went with Dhaka because that fit in with the opposite clue which fit 3 of the letters so fooled me for a bit, until I realised what they were going for. Have no issues with using Lhasa etc, but when the linked clue is a recognised national capital and the other isn't, it feels like you're trying too hard to make a linked clue to be clever.
@Nat K There's a difference between ambiguity and clues not making sense even after you've solved them.
Enjoyable at times. Although I enjoy crosswords most when the answers seem difficult but when you get the answer you think "Oh that's clever". More than a few today were more on the "Oh that's just annoying". Plus answers like the Fallen Astronaut, which yes Apollo 1 is part of that, but it was for all astronauts or cosmonauts at that time. Gas station convenance as ATM also felt like a mistrep. Overall, I enjoyed the theme etc, but really felt like a lot of clues were trying to be too clever and missed the mark.
@Steven M. CAROM and BICORNES was one I did know. But yeah had to look up Oldsmobile models to get that one and Scow was just a fill in the gaps one.
@David Connell The issue is that it's effectively a state or regional capital, while the linked clue Seoul is a national capital.
@Jonathan Baldwin I think it's one of those crossword words that fits nicely because it's all letters that get used often. Personally I have no problems with them using it, it's just using it in a way that makes sense. Hence the St Mary's reference. St Mary Gaels are a college team so would fit in with another answer. Or even a Gaelic Football reference may have worked etc.
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