Phil V
London, UK
@Jill It's three words. To a T. It's a phrase that means you've done a task perfectly.
I disagree with those saying that the Medina clue was a matter of opinion. "Holier" can of course mean "more sacred to me", as those complaining seem to be reading it. But it can also mean "more known as a famous religious place". For my money, I'd say that Medina (Saudi Arabia), Vatican City, Cumorah, Senso-Ji and Varanasi are all holier places in that respect than Medina, Ohio.
I liked the theme (relatively simple and clearly marked) and the clueing (tough but fair, balances out simpler theme), but do have one minor dislike about this puzzle. The word ‘UP’ is used in three different phrases. This actually got me stuck for a short while, as I thought ‘no repeated words’, except where part of a theme, was one of the key rules, similarly to ‘words in clues aren’t also in answers’.
@Amy I wouldn't have minded the spelling I'd never seen, if it wasn't for the crossings with PEETS. I'm British, but married an American and have spent time in New York, Iowa and Arizona, never noticed a Peets. Having said that, it was the only crossing I didn't figure out, and enjoyed the puzzle overall.
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