The Crossword Puzzle David Hockney Critique Criticisim Review
Constructor: David Steinberg
Relative difficulty: Medium
THEME: Iv-Letter of the alphabet WORDS (39A: Curses ... or what 18-, twenty-, 26-, 48-, 57- and 63-Across are, literally — answers in question are formed from a total of four messages ... at least I recall that's information technology. I hope that's it. It'due south very early in the morning time ...
Theme answers:
- SASSAFRAS (18A: Its root was in one case used in root beer) (SASF)
- SENESCENCE (20A: Process of aging) (SENC)
- LOLLIPOP (26A: What always deserves a good licking?) (LOIP)
- NONSENSE (48A: Poppycock) (Nose)
- TATTLETALE (57A: Snitch) (TALE)
- RECHERCHE (63A: Exotic) (RECH)
Give-and-take of the Twenty-four hours: ZUMBA(68A: Trip the light fantastic-based fitness program) —
an aerobic fitness program featuring movements inspired by various styles of Latin American dance and performed primarily to Latin American trip the light fantastic toe music. (google)
• • •
This grid is a lovely bit of fun, but I confess I don't really get the theme. I mean, I *get* it (I think), but aren't ... a lot of words 4-Letter WORDS , in the sense that they are made up of a total of four different letters of the alphabet? Yes, SASSAFRAS uses only SAFR, just, for instance, SENSEI uses only SENI, and ... so? I guess I just don't know how special these kinds of iv-letter words are. Obviously the longer the discussion gets, the more unusual the iv-letterness, merely that still doesn't experience special enough to build a theme around. I similar the idea of playing around with the meaning of FOUR-LETTER WORDS , only this particular play feels flimsy. But as I say, taken equally a themeless, just for the pleasure of the words in the filigree alone, I enjoyed this once. Information technology bounced, and (for a Tuesday in detail) was very, very clean (with merely OTTOI mucking things up—adding that guy to my Retire Your Make full! (RYF) listing).
The bounciness was also the only thing challenging nigh the puzzle. Information technology took a trivial thinking to parse stuff similar M-Town (short for Koreatown) (17A: Neighborhood where kimchi might be found, informally) and BAD PR (6A: What a divorce may generate for a celeb) and "OH, WELL" (4D: "That'due south a bummer"). Easier for me to go something like PESETA than EHOW , which I had equally ETSY at get-go (ETSY involves people selling things they make themselves, EHOW involves showing people how to do things themselves). ZUMBA makes me think how picayune I've seen TAEBO in puzzles lately, which puzzles deserve commendation for. I hereby grant you lot a five-year license to apply ZUMBA ; nosotros'll check dorsum in in 2023 to see if ZUMBA still warrants it (68A: Dance-based fitness program). The toughest reply for me to become was PITON , considering they have spikes and then I e'er think in that location'southward a "K" in there, and then I recall the respond's more literal, similar GRIP ON, and ... I don't know, information technology's not a discussion I encounter anywhere but crosswords, and no other word looks like it (nil very mutual fits -ITON, or P-TON, or PI-ON, or PIT-North, or PITO- ... it'south weird), so I just have trouble slotting it in my brain properly.
Bullets:
- 14A: Pharmaceutical giant that makes Valium (ROCHE) — can't keep my pharmaceutical giants straight, and totally forgot this one today. LILLY, PFIZER, MERCK ... where were y'all when I needed you lot!?
- 49D: Slimeball (SLEAZE) — wrote in SLEAZO because I really thought the NYT had tried in the past to convince me that was a term, simply and then I realized I was thinking of Crank
- 64D: Org. concerned with soil and water (EPA) — LOL not anymore. This inkling is at least a yr old.
Signed, King Parker, King of CrossWorld
P.S. I didn't empathize the theme until I was washed; while I was solving, I thought it had something to do with "stuff y'all say instead of swearing," similar SASSAFRAS ! and NONSENSE ! (you know, instead of "bullshit!")
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Source: https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2018/01/dance-based-fitness-program-tue-1-16-18.html
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