ACROSS LITE PUZZLE: [ THEMELESS MONDAY]
PROGRAM: [Across Lite]
PROGRAM: [Java]
PRINTOUT PUZZLE: [ THEMELESS MONDAY]
PROGRAM: [Adobe Acrobat]
Quick announcement: If you were thinking about giving somebody a customized crossword this holiday season, we have plenty of time to do it. However, the sooner I know about it the better. Drop me an email. Thanks.
Share the puzzle. New one on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving? Where’d 2010 go?
Yeah, tough. Did you do that hockey thing on ESSO to make people (me) think it was named after a hockey player, i.e. Mike Esposito, i.e. ESPO. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. MAID SERVANT was absurdly hard for me to see. Got MAID easily but … would never have thought to add SERVANT.
Don’t understand STEPS clue. Didn’t watch “Lost.” Thought HULA was HORA. Didn’t know NATO had “official languages.” TVAD x/w RIVERBOAT = tough.
Edges of puzzle were pretty easy (esp. SE, which I filled in lightning fast), but middle parts were a bit-by-bit struggle.
1A = nice, though it’s more one writer’s slang than “feminist” slang.
Good job.
some people take the STEPS to go down a level. i don’t understand the LED clue, although i did eventually guess it. 1a was very hard for me. i don’t even understand it. also the spelling of 15a; isn’t that british (or extremely affected)?
anyway, definitely hard.
I cruised pretty well through everything but the top. LED, STEPS, MAIDSERVANT, and ZIPLESS FUCK had me stuck.
I’m not sure I get LED either.
I got caught by ESPO as well (Tony or Phil Esposito were the hockey players).
The V in TVAD and RIVERBOAT had me hitting reveal for a DNF. Took forever to get the top – it’s hard to get my mind around seeing FUCK in a grid. But I’m smiling.
Glad I read a little Erica Jong in high school or college so I knew ZIPLESS FUCK.
I’d call this one Measium at most. Once 1a and 15a filled themselves in, I was off to the races.
A woman my age should definitely have known (1) across right off!! Took me a while, but pure pleasure.
For most of the puzzle, I was distracted by Phil Esposito and convinced that a MAID PERVANT must be an unfamiliar French term for a kinky maid’s outfit.
Without OIL as a cross-reference…I’m not sure I ever would’ve gotten it right.
What Joon and Jeffrey already said. 1A was no chance in hell for me, although I have to say for a corner that completely had me for lunch, I do like that upper-left. Zippy, ironically enough.
I feel good its been awhile since I’ve finished a HARD puzzle with no help. ZIPLESS equalled clueless for me but ANAESTHESIA came to me with a letter or two filled in, too bad I wsn’t sure about the spelling on that one. My toughest section was finishing the SE with SPRAT/TYN and The LADY EVE.
I still don’t understand “Bush leaguer” for TYRO even after solving and Googling. Can someone explain?
Agree that otherwise it’s a little easier than a typical BEQ-ThemelessMonday-Hard puzzle.
Hi. A tyro is a beginner or novice, “one familiar with the rudiments of a subject but lacking in practical experience”. While ‘bush league’ refers to a baseball minor league, and, by extension, anything relatively small-time as opposed to the ‘big league’. Hope that helps.
When I read “Lie with oneself” quickly, I first wondered, “Is ONANATE a word?”
Was so happy to ONAN make its way into the grid anyway!
Chaos130 Said:
Ouch! Brutal puzzle. Finally staggered home after almost giving up. After getting ZIP, I couldn’t believe what fit, but then I remembered where I was. Wanted FEY for too long at 4D, and also had ESPO at 5D. Likewise SCREAM instead of SHRIEK at 7D. Lot’s of initial entries were wrong. Glad I didn’t do this puzzle in ” dead tree mode “,with pen.
One small nit. I don’t believe the clue at 57A is technically accurate. I’ve never visited a factory where they build modular homes, but I’m pretty sure it takes a lot longer than a day. They may be situated on site in a day, but I don’t think even the Amish could build one that quick. Unless perhaps, we’re talking about a home for livestock ? Moot point, just Sayin.
Remembering Erica Jong, ARNOLDS, SABRINA, plus some other stuff made this more of a medium hard for me. Toughest thing (like Rex) was finally seeing MAIDSERVANT. Another excellent puzzle!