When I used to be a junior in highschool, I made the California state orchestra as a cellist. Not by pure musical expertise, thoughts you, however by a dogged persistence at perfecting every microsection of my tryout piece and subsequent technical flim-flammery to hitch mentioned snippets up.

Needless to say, my stay tryout upon arrival positioned me within the again half of the cellos, the place I preceded to be that man who miscounted a protracted relaxation part and squeaked a be aware — a quarter-tone low, at that — when it was purported to be lifeless quiet. One of the bassists leaned over and hissed, SMOOTH MOVE, EXLAX.

Thankfully, the remainder of my actions that weekend weren’t as flatulent.

Also, fortunately, I can look again on it now and chortle at as we speak’s incredible marquee entry.

I get nervous when a themeless options two 15s and never many different lengthy entries. Sure, it is potential to squeeze juice out of 7-letter slots, but it surely’s laborious, since these mid-lengths are tilted towards boring, one-word entries like …

Dang, Patrick did such an incredible job of using these slots that it is robust to select even one which’s extra impartial than an asset! Even one thing humdrum like ATHEIST received elevated with a zingy punster’s clue. [One in a state of disbelief], as in not believing in God = genius.

And there have been so many of those scrumptious bites of wordplay pleasure! I misplaced depend after half a dozen, selecting to neglect about quantification and as an alternative take in the enjoyable. My favourite was TIP JARS being “open to vary.” They’re actually open to vary, as in nickels and dimes. Spectacular!

I did detect LET SERVE, occupying one of many valuable 8-letter slots. I had NET SERVE, which felt affordable, however LET SERVE is certainly a technical tennis time period. It’s not one thing I’d attempt to incorporate in a themeless, although, since I normally hear announcers merely say “let.”

Such top-notch use of all these mid-length slots, each in grid entries and their clues. It would have been the POW! even with out the hilarious headliner. Smooth transfer certainly, Patrick!