Constructor: Trent Evans

Relative issue: This felt impossibly laborious, however my time (20:27) it was solely medium laborious

THEME: Themeless

Word of the Day: PHASER (Fictional weapon of the twenty third century) —

Phasers are frequent and versatile phased array pulsed vitality projectile weapons, first seen within the unique Star Trek sequence and later in virtually all subsequent movies and tv spin-offs. Phasers vary in measurement from small arms to starship-mounted weaponry. Though they appear to discharge in a steady “beam”, shut commentary reveals that phasers truly discharge a stream of pulsed vitality projectiles into the goal.

• • •

A Friday! I at all times choose a Friday to err on the facet of “too straightforward” and this one didn’t. (Actually, I at all times choose for all puzzles to err on the facet of “too straightforward.”) One of my issues is that if I’m not having fun with a puzzle, I’ll merely cease fixing it. (Same with books or motion pictures that I’m not having fun with.) If I weren’t reviewing this puzzle I’d have stopped after 5 minutes, however I’m glad I caught it out. I did not love the general cluing vibe (which gave the impression to be “laborious and imprecise”) however wanting over the fill now that I’m completed, there’s sooo a lot good things in right here.

Both of the stacks are really flawless, at the least going throughout. Six beautiful solutions. (The downs… hmm. ADIA…. PIU…. LEONI…. Hmmm……) I want that they had been clued in a method that was a little bit extra…. Idk, Friday! Lively and lightweight and sparkly and enjoyable! Reducing SPACE CAMP— such an evocative phrase– to geography-based trivia is simply not my concept of a Friday clue. I’d have most well-liked one thing as cliche and simple and technically inaccurate as [Summer destination that’s out of this world].

TINCAN is one other instance of that– it is a enjoyable phrase that I’m positive conjures up a picture in your thoughts. Lovely consonance as effectively. And as an alternative we get…. Military trivia. Not my wheelhouse! I’d have clued this as [Communication device for Calvin and Hobbes*, occasionally].

Other excessive components have been LIVE TWEET (*chef’s kiss*) and I WONT ASK, which I actually stated tonight at dinner, and FAKE TAN and BESTIES (… which I additionally stated at dinner tonight). Low components for me have been MARSALIS (a reputation I’m unfamiliar with) and AMSCRAYS and ECT. Can somebody clarify NAVE for [Basilica section] please?

Oh, I suppose I ought to say “ACED IT and YOU NAILED IT have IT crossing on the I” so there we go. I stated it. It’s completed.

Bullets:

• Have you ever had falafel constituted of FAVA beans? I’ve solely had the chickpea selection.
• The clue for MORNING RITUAL slowed me down lots as a result of I bathe and resolve the crossword at night time! I like to be clear once I get into mattress, and my curls do higher drying in a single day.
• The first reply I put in was [Position in an array, to a computer scientist]. A gimme! I suppose my nit is that I’d have stated “programmer” as an alternative of “pc scientist.”
• I like mathematical PARADOXes. My favourite adjustments, however proper now it is Russell’s— a basic.
• KNEX was one other gimme for me… Did y’all put “Lego” first? (I had the X from above which made it straightforward.) I had tons of those as a child.

xoxo Malaika

*I learn sufficient C&H once I was youthful that via early school I had each strip memorized. (This ability is now, alas, rusty.) A good friend did not imagine me and I instructed him to choose a random strip, describe the primary panel to me, and I’d full the remainder. He picked this one, and certainly, I nailed (heh) it, and he actually was speechless.

Also, this comedian is 10x funnier now that WAP truly means one thing.