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Constructor: Erik Agard and Brooke Husic
Relative issue: Difficult
THEME: none
Phrase of the Day: BALAYAGE (9D: Hair highlighting method) —
Balayage (from the French, that means ‘scanning, sweeping’) is a way of free-form portray on clear, styled hair. The outcomes are refined, and thus extra natural-looking than foiling or chunking.[1] Balayage in its many variations is at present[when?] trending in Hollywood.
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Good day! Rafael Musa (Rafa) right here, first-time Rexword blogger, and a byline it’s possible you’ll acknowledge from USA Immediately (edited by one in all at the moment’s constructors!), AVCX (co-edited by one other of at the moment’s constructors!), and Common. Excited to fill in at the moment for a puzzle by two greats, each of whom I’ve had the privilege of working with!
First, a word on symmetry. Mirror symmetry is uncommon for themeless puzzles and permits for uncommon geometries just like the stack of 10s in the course of the grid — it is a enjoyable shake-up for extra seasoned solvers. Although it does include a set of tradeoffs, because it’s laborious to keep away from corners heavy with 4s and 5s that may really feel much less thrilling to crack.
Onto the puzzle itself! I discovered this fairly difficult for a Friday and had a resolve time solidly in Saturday territory. This was principally resulting from some devilish (in a great way!) cluing. Issues like [Eats outside, perhaps] for STREET FOOD (“eats” getting used a noun) and [Make a lead balloon?] for RACE AHEAD (suppose not lead the fabric, however having a lead — pronounced “leed” — in a race) actually elevated the resolve, however did sluggish me down a bit. The latter clue is especially fantastic as a result of each “lead” and “balloon” change meanings within the wordplay, and the floor sense is rock-solid — completely stellar!
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| These crossword stilettos are iconic |
The one actual downside space for me was the left-middle. Powerful clues (to me) on HARES, PEN, ACES, CHAPS (which was new to me in that context), in addition to imprecise clue on PIES (there are such a lot of holidays in so many alternative cultures and locations! And so many meals are spherical!) had me floundering for some time however ultimately I bought there. I desperately needed HEN for the swan, and “leporids” did not imply something to me. Maybe this puzzle would have been higher to run on a Saturday? Or with a extra simple clue for a type of entries?
I did want there was a tad extra zing within the lengthy fill, and that there have been extra longer slots. Right here the mirror symmetry is difficult to work with, as it may be more durable to pack in additional longer slots with its constraints. However nonetheless, stuff like BALAYAGE, HASHTAGS, STREET FOOD, WEIGHTED BLANKET, STILETTOS, POWER YOGA, RED TAPE are all pleasant. All of the brief fill can also be nice — not a bit of crosswordese in sight.
I’ve additionally seen a transfer towards together with mini-themes and motifs in themeless puzzles on the NYT. Although there’s after all no “appropriate” tackle this, I am personally not an enormous fan of this shift! We have now 5 days every week of themed puzzles already, do not mess with my sacred themeless weekend!! Me being a themeless purist apart, I did not suppose the juice was fairly well worth the squeeze within the paired solutions right here. WEIGHTED BLANKET is excellent, however I had by no means heard of HEAVY SECURITY as a standalone phrase, and it would not Google tremendous nicely. But it surely’s potential HEAVY SECURITY is extra of a factor than I am making it out to be!
All in all, a enjoyable (and difficult!) Friday puzzle that stood out for its nice recent clues.
- THEY SAY [Word is…] — At first I could not resolve whether or not I preferred this or it felt partially, however trying again at it I am an enormous fan of its conversational vibe
- GNATS [Cloud often seen in the summer] — One other enjoyable clue — good strategy to elevate a well-recognized entry
- ETTA [Blues guitarist Baker] — I beloved seeing a brand new (to me) ETTA on this clue for an additional acquainted entry
- CRAIG [Name that anagrams to something you might smoke] — I really feel like there’s a number of controversy about these identify clues that do not reference a selected individual. I personally love them! And on this difficult nook, I appreciated the better angle.
I will be again subsequent week with one other put up!
[Follow Rafa on Twitter]
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