Ryan solves the NYT, Mon 10-27-8
After a weekend of fumbling around, staring at blank squares and feeling generally inept I came back today to finish Andrea Carla Michaels and Michael Blake’s Monday puzzle in personal record time. Go figure.
Enjoyable theme:
55D. Twirl … or a cryptic hint to 20-, 36- and 51-Across? (SPIN)
20A. Aerosol tanning? (SPRAY OF SUNSHINE)
36A. Tiffany showroom? (SPACE OF DIAMONDS)
51A. Babble incoherently? (SPUTTER NONSENSE). This is a little odd as I think UTTER NONSENSE would have fit the clue as well.
The puzzle also featured three more clues to remind me the Dodgers are not playing in the World Series:
63A. Dodger or Met, for short (NLER). I continue to actively dislike the crossword-only abbreviations of NLer and ALer.
54D. Baseball’s Hideo (NOMO)
25D. First, second, third or home (BASE).
One clue to remind me of a rough night last night:
7D. Bloated, as the stomach (GASSY). Not to get too detailed but Pickles made some deliciously spicy chili last night but I ate it too close to bedtime. The result was horrible, zombie-filled nightmares. Does anybody know what the connection is between spicy food and bad dreams?
And I enjoyed the two Shakespeare clues:
8D. “___, Brute?” (ET TU). I have yet to see a good production of Julius Caesar.
32D. “Much ___ About Nothing” (ADO). One of my favorites. I saw this in the Park a few years ago with Jimmy Smits as Benedick. Who the hell knew Jimmy Smits was funny?
A new podcast will be recorded tonight! New mics! New topics! New other stuff!
Next stop, Tuesday.
