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Constructor: Mary Lou Guizzo and Jeff Chen
Relative issue: Weirdly Challenging
THEME: “KETANJI / BROWN / JACKSON” (33A: With 38- and 43-Across, history-making SCOTUS appointee — it is really themeless, however Justice Jackson takes up the entire center of the puzzle, and is *by far* the most effective factor within the grid
Word of the Day: BOGO (37A: Sale incentive, informally) —
: a gross sales promotion wherein an merchandise is obtainable free or at a diminished value when one other merchandise is bought at full value (merriam-webster.com) [short for “buy one, get one”]
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Wonderful to see that KETANJI / BROWN / JACKSON stack in the midst of the puzzle right this moment, however rather a lot much less fantastic to see nearly every part else on this grid. I don’t perceive why this puzzle was accepted past the very cool Supreme Court Justice title association. The common New Yorker puzzle completely torches this puzzle on the degree of general grid high quality. If you will pay tribute to this “history-making SCOTUS appointee,” you need to both construct an precise theme round her, or else drop her into the center of a completely Fire grid. She deserves higher than this, is what I’m saying. The solely factor in addition to her title that took the needle into “completely satisfied” territory right this moment was the clue on MAC ‘N’ CHEESE (26D: Comfort meals with shortening?). Good reply, nice clue—good misdirection there with “shortening” (which right here refers back to the “shortening,” i.e. abbreviation, MAC … and ‘N’, I suppose). In all different elements of the grid, I used to be both COOLLY filling in containers or else grimacing at yet one more cutesy clue. Puzzle: “How quick does a ___ must run earlier than it seems to be grey?” Me: “… HOUND?” Puzzle: [4D: One in a galley]. Me: “No thought.” Puzzle later: [6D: One in a galley]. Me once more: “We’ve been over this.” And then the puzzle pulls the an identical clue gimmick *once more* with STALE / HUMID? It all seems like distraction from the truth that there are not any marquee solutions on this factor in addition to Justice Jackson. KONA COAST and EGGBEATER are tremendous, as is HANGER-ON, however not a lot else right here is definitely worth the value of admission.
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| [“Am I … gray?”] |
What is with the prudish clue on CLEAVAGE? (6A: Sharp divide). We know what you have been pondering breasts, why not simply clue it that method? It’s tremendous. Nothing incorrect with CLEAVAGE. You have GOES ALL IN in your puzzle and but you refuse to “go all in” with the CLEAVAGE clue. Come on. The most annoying factor concerning the puzzle was all the anomaly, particularly round two-part solutions, like ___ GAME, ___ NAME, END ___, and particularly TEA ___, which half the fixing world can have written in as ROOM, since that’s the a lot a lot more likely time period for the place the place you even have a “spot” of tea. I consider a TEA SHOP as a spot the place you purchase the tea that you simply then make at dwelling your self. I’m positive the clue is technically proper, on some degree, however placing in ROOM after which having to tug it for one thing worse in a puzzle that was already quick on pleasure … not a spotlight. First I’m ever listening to of somebody named FDR, JR. in order that was an attention-grabbing one to parse (21D: First chairman of the E.E.O.C., familiarly). Besides writing in HOUND at 1A, my different errors included “I SWEAR” earlier than “I SAW IT” (17A: Words from a witness), STREUDEL (sp.!?) earlier than STREUSEL (67A: Crumbly topping), ALPACA earlier than ANGORA (41A: Fluffy fur supply), and EMINEM earlier than EILISH (66A: At 18, the youngest individual to comb the 4 essential Grammy classes (Song, Album, Record, Best New Artist)), though there I knew EMINEM was incorrect at the same time as I used to be writing the letters in. I used to be simply stalling to provide myself time to recollect Billie EILISH’s title.
See you tomorrow.
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