![]() The issue I have is with the crosswordese.įill I would try to avoid on a Wednesday: UCONN, CHE, OTOS, ITALO, LOOIES, SOBA, ETTE, ALOOP, ENERO, QUIK, AGA, OVI, NEOS, AMSTEL, ORZO, ESE and YMA. I disagree, thinking the theme was perfectly fine and timely. *black squares that do not add to word count but make puzzle (often much) easier to fill (here, the black square next to the "8" square and before the "70" square) MEZZO is not that great a "word" in the first place, and if it forces us to endure YMA and ALOOP, just for the sake of two "Z"s, I have to question its value. SE corner is borderline if not out-and-out Scrabble-f***ing. Got mildly slippery in the LOOIES section of the grid, but otherwise it was mostly fill-in-the-blank-and-try-not-to-wince. Also just blanked on 16A: Word before income or exhaust ( DUAL), even after I had D-AL. Needed almost every cross before I saw it. Would've been very close to 3 minutes flat had I not gotten royally turned around in the NE, where BUICK SEDAN (really? are we just accepting SEDAN now?) just would not come ( 10D: LaCrosse, for one). ![]() And you needed 2 cheater squares*? Man alive.ĭid this faster than I did yesterday's. Gah! NEOS BIOTA OTOS ISH OVI AGA ALA ACRO ASHY ENERO ESL etc. You can over-rely on them-they are no substitute for good judgment-but they do help keep things clean. It's a very small investment to keep help you keep your fill from looking like dated crap. I guarantee you this grid was created without constructing software. No pro puts ETTE EROS and ESE all in the same damn small corner. I'm not making up reasons to complain here. Then there's the fill, which is dire, and you know that. Then there's the fact that this theme ("first words") is old as the hills and needs to Really snap in order not to feel musty. Where Are The Other, Actually Iconic THANKSGIVING DAY Foods? Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce … I don't know, something! This is a rather incomplete meal I'm being offered here. it's not iconic enough to be part of a THANKSGIVING DAY meal, and b. I recognize that it is a food associated with autumn. Whose THANKSGIVING DAY meal consists of only turkey (w/ gravy and dressing) and squash? Squash? I've literally never had squash at a THANKSGIVING DAY meal. This puzzle should've been rejected on the basis of non-Thursdayness alone, but let's move on. Since THANKSGIVING DAY is always on Thursday, you need to develop a Thursday-worthy theme if you want to do a THANKSGIVING DAY puzzle. ![]() Only … no, wait it *is* the puzzle's fault. Not the puzzle's fault it got placed on a Wednesday. Minor consideration, perhaps, but I'm gonna start there anyway. Let's start with the fact that it is not, in fact, THANKSGIVING DAY. It is sweeter and more flavorful than regular soba. Soba that is made with newly harvested buckwheat is called "shin-soba". In Japan, buckwheat is produced mainly in Hokkaido. It takes three months for buckwheat to be ready for harvest, so it can be harvested four times a year, mainly in spring, summer, and autumn. Soba noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup. It is synonymous with a type of thin noodle made from buckwheat flour, and in Japan can refer to any thin noodle (unlike thick wheat noodles, known as udon ). Soba ( そば or 蕎麦 ?) is the Japanese name for buckwheat. Word of the Day: SOBA ( 58A: Noodles in Japanese cookery). 51A: Locale for a big mirror (DRESSING ROOM).24A: One of a pair in a court (SQUASH RACKET).17A: Source of easy money (GRAVY TRAIN).THEME: THANKSGIVING DAY ( 39A: Setting for the starts of 17-, 24-, 51- and 64-Across) - opening words in familiar two-word phrases are parts of a THANKSGIVING DAY meal:
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