THEMELESS MONDAY: [ ACROSS LITE][ PDF]
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PROGRAM: [Java]
Solving puzzles is one of life’s pleasures. As is enjoying an adult beverage now and then. So why is it that our latest BEQ Fan Du Jour looks so, well … dour while combining the two of them? Say hello to Susanna Brown of Medford, MA. Susanna writes: “I can stare and stare at a BEQ puzzle, but the breakthrough always comes after a drink or three. Guess you have to be in the creator’s frame of mind.”
Hey now! That hurts! I can guarantee that my frame of mind while making this one was sleep-deprived and hallucinating off diaper fumes. And trust me, nobody needs to see that reenacted. Thanks again for the pic, Susanna. Everybody else, hat are you waiting for? Send those fan photos in, now!
Oh, and thanks again to all who donated in the tip drive. Our randomly selected winner is Morris Feibusch of Potomac, MD.
Share the puzzle. New one on Thursday.
58A is essentially a partial. On its own, it’s not a breed (cat, yes; dog, no). That corner was dire, esp. in terms of cluing (never had an OMELETTE w/ au gratin potatoes; is that spelling a different thing from what I had yesterday at my local diner?). I think of a “branch” as something bigger than one person (re: TIO). Then there was the (fair) difficulty of ADDS TO THE … POT? UN…CLASP??? That corner was a combo of legitimately hard and somewhat unfair / irritating. Rest of puz was just medium/hard, though I don’t see any nec. connection between people in the clue and the answer at OUTSIDE HELP. You’re asking me to infer a lot there about what the context is. I assume I am a rich person in that scenario?? But all I was thinking of was a restaurant, in which case “OUTSIDE” made no sense.
Nice pitfall at RIFTS (had TIFFS). Great clue on BATES MOTEL. That “Q” stayed hidden forEver.
Thanks,
rp
Great having a puzzle critique from Rex. I thought this one was just fine. But I always feel that way until I read his commentary. Then I say, “oh yeah, right.”
Still wondering about 51A (after having to use Google to get 52D)…is that short for some kind of “fiction” ?
That SE corner was a workout….
Agree that the sw corner was the sticking point. Also, the concern with the fiscal cliff wasn’t really the debt, since going over the cliff would have solved the debt problem.
@Pete: “fanfic” is a slang term for “fan fiction”–people writing their own stories based on existing fictional worlds and characters (Star Trek, various anime franchises etc).
Seemed like a lot of slightly dubious clues today (in addition to the ones posted above, I wasn’t too keen on 48A either: unlike, say, a cabin, you don’t rent an INN, you rent a room in one). But for my part all is redeemed by 33D.
Thanks!
I did google “scarequote” because that was a new one for me too…
Never too old to learn something, I guess…
…everything was going well… confidently threw in SYFY NETWORK for 24D. But nothing else would fit.
OK, keep moving around…come back to it.
(Several minutes later, with the rest of the puzzle done)
Staring. Staring. Staring.
WTF? Oh, crap… SYFY CHANNEL?? And BEQ used neither “channel” nor “network” in the clue? Dastardly!
seeing “in a tie” as the answer to 18A tells the solver a lot about beq’s life. my answer was “in a tux”.
Could someone please explain 35D?
Monopoly
Thanks!