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If I sound a little groggy, it’s because I hate a late night last night, partying hard celebrating the Orca awards. The Orcas, in case you either don’t know, or maybe you’ve forgotten, is the annual awards given out by the folks at Diary of a Crossword Fiend celebrating excellence in crosswords. And once again, yours truly took the honors for Best Freestyle Crossword, this time for a puzzle co-written with Joon Pahk. What they call “Freestyle” is what the rest of us call “Themeless” puzzles, and seeing that I make nearly 50 of them each year, I should hope that I’d get at least one nominated each year. But anyway. For those keeping count, that’s two-in-a-row for the ole’ Biz Quig in that category (remember?). Let’s see if I can make 2014 a threepeat, yes? Yes.
Interested parties can do the winning puzzle right here.
While I’m here, just want to give a big thanks to a handful of people. Thanks to my wife Liz, and my daughter Tabitha. I love you girls. Thanks to Nancy Schuster, Tyler Hinman and Joon for testing the puzzles. And thanks to Amy Reynaldo, Sam Donaldson, and everybody at Team Fiend for the Orca.
Share the puzzle. New one on Monday.
Well deserved. Congrats!
Congrats, sir. Well-deserved.
Speaking of SIR, I think you’ll want to change your 30-Down clue: [Ronald Reagan or Bono, e.g.].
E.g., from the Ronald Reagan Wikipedia page: “In 1989, Reagan was made an Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, one of the highest British orders (this entitled him to the use of the post-nominal letters “GCB” but, as a foreign national, not to be known as “Sir Ronald Reagan”).
And from http://www.today.com/id/17854722#.UysGDM6yrtA : “Because he is an Irish citizen, Bono won’t have the title of “sir” before his name. That honor is reserved for citizens of the United Kingdom or British Commonwealth countries. Ireland left the Commonwealth when it became a republic in 1949.”
it was an honor for me to ride your coattails to a win. but why’d you crop the photo so that you can only just barely see the top of the head of the best-looking person in it?
I love this type of theme, and today’s brilliantly done. The noisiness of 5A, 40A and 64A prevented me from taking any 27D.
BEQ,
Nice one in the NYT.
One small nit about this puzzle. Hef lounges in a robe, but it isn’t a bathrobe.