Peter Koetters
Pasadena, CA
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Pasadena, CA
I'm surprised there aren't better combinations that can be found GATECH? It wasn't bad, just harder than necessary making it less fun.
Northwest quadrant was brutal. I was on the ragged (not razor's) edge of failure. MUNSHI next to ELSTON almost got me. Doubled my average time just due to that slog. But I got it, which heartens me.
Foiled by the crossers EMO(T/J)IPEDIA and (T/J)ERI. It feels like an EMOTIPEDIA might be a thing.
At 11:27 it's my fastest Friday yet. And on my little phone. Like butter.
If this is the solving experience I can expect in the future I may have to take up constructing again. The bar has lowered.
Once I figured an EARLAP was not an EARFLAP like I thought, and figured there must be something called an ANTICOMEDY I was not familiar with, I still had to deal with my mental block that "first gear" could be STARTER KIT rather than STARTER BRA like I first thought. Oh yeah, the "ding thing" I also had misfigured as BELL instead of TEXT. Took longer than usual then but I eventually came around to it. Good themeless.
I though it was fun. Great solo debut. Laughed at "CLASSAMORON." I would have not tried to push that through if I were the constructor, but it worked!
Amazing theme. Only could appreciate it after it was over, so it made the solve harder with all them CANs. Extremely complex, but satisfying in the end. Kudos!
I think AODAI will be new to almost all of us. I didn't have trouble with LANAI, but I did a little with MAE, where the editors could have had pity on us and used an easier clue. Almost Naticked that one. When I asked Gemini who wears a backwards cap, cutoff tee, miniskirt and striped socks it said "Pee Wee Herman." I guess Google is still working on the program. Anyway, it would have been a lot less green paint-y if they were referencing a particular character or person. Oh well.
Here I was staring at _ _ A picturing a sexy black BRA and wondering what a Belgian BRA looks like -- lacy I think -- and what sort of mutant, like the one in Total Recall, needs a double BRA. Shows you where my mind is I guess.
Loved it! So excited for the World Cup. Let's go! AFFRAY had me for a bit, it's not a word I am familiar with, but the missing FRA solved it for me. I love it when the theme is a helper. Took a bit longer than my average, but I found this one pretty fun, wishing I had made it.
@Edward My Midi accepted an "N." Maybe they already changed it? I did it on my phone.
This is one puzzle that is definitely improved by adding circles. Yes, it makes it easier, but easier is better in my book.
@Francis the clues can always be made easier, for one. Most solvers don't appreciate puzzles as much if they take longer than expected or result in a dnf. That's what I mean about the difficulty. For me, the theme entries are definitely less fun when they result in words I don't immediately recognize. I must admit, it wasn't until I finished and looked at the blog that I realized what GATECH was even referring to. Can it be completed? Check. Was it satisfying? Meh. Editorially speaking, that's what I mean by "better."
@Edward I agree it is not a recognized anatomical entity in the developed human brain, and it had me stumped until I filled in the crossers. I'm a physician after all, and had to wonder if there was some new nomenclature out there for the occipital lobes. It appears to be a recognized entity in other organisms, like flies. It seems to be considered a valid term in developmental biology as well. On that basis I would call it "legal" but obscure, having no business in my Thursday puzzle. This one probably slipped by the editors, as it seems to have a natural validity on its surface if one is not knowledgeable about human brain structures. It was a miss. I hope it didn't ruin the puzzle for anyone. I was able to fill it anyway and came in well under my average time.
@Barry Ancona Yes, to be fair, it's not like each of my own puzzles were universally loved. To each his own. Glad to see many seem to have liked this one scanning the comments. For my money it's all about the theme. To me these theme entries barely have surface sense, and I expect more from a theme than surface sense. Perhaps I am too harsh. I always expect the NYT to be the cream of the crop but still I respect the effort.
@BobSolo Not an ideal word form, no. I'd still be tempted to write a cute clue, something like "Early morning deposits that increase liquidity?" ...however, that is probably not a great idea for an unusual plural!
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