We had a taste of spring here this weekend with lots of sun and temperatures in the upper 60sF/~19C. But snow and colder weather is forecast for the next few days so it looks like the groundhog was right. Now let’s see what Barb has delivered to our inboxes this week.
- Title: Hit it!
- Grid size: 15×15
- Number of entries: 72
- Difficulty: Easy (my solve time: 5:26)
The title didn’t make much of an impression at first and I pretty much forgot it during the solve, only figuring it out the theme on review after finishing. Each of the four themers is a common phrase where the first word of the phrase is something that’s “hit:”
- 17A: [Loose-hanging frock of the ’50s]: SACK DRESS – This was the last entry I got – I had DRESS but no idea whet went in front until I got a few more crosses. After this blog entry is complete, I’m going to hit the sack.
- 24A: [Area with high growth potential?]: ROOF GARDEN – Had a little smile when I got this one – I like punny clues like this. But if I’d have got it wrong, I would hit the roof.
- 35A: [Stain cleaner such as Shout]: SPOT REMOVER – I remember the commercials for Shout from watching TV as a kid (“Shout it out!”), but didn’t know it was still a product. It is still around and apparently in high demand, as a search for it returns many results asking why it’s in short supply. I guess for folks looking to buy Shout, when they find it, it hits the spot.
- 49A: [Cruise ship seating]: DECK CHAIRS – Got this one right off; I always associate this with the idiom “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic” meaning “making well-meaning but negligible adjustments to an endeavor that is doomed to fail.” No matter what actions you’re taking, it’s always best when starting a task or new job to hit the deck running.
- 56A: [Bygone reporter with a loud voice]: TOWN CRIER – I initially thought the clue would refer to a well-known Canadian news reporter, and I would need all the crosses to get it. But once I got most of “crier” it clicked what it was. To celebrate getting this and cleanly completing the rest of the puzzle I’m going to hit the town.
This was my 7th fastest solve of Barb’s puzzles (yes, I keep track of my solve time – and a lot more) and I had no real hiccups. The solve went from NW down to SE then pretty much counterclockwise from there. In addition to the clever themers, the fill was quite fresh and there was some very nice longer fill, such as 28D, for which Barb gets the prize for first use of “doom scroll” in a puzzle that I’ve seen.
Canadian content
- 1A: [Mountie’s serge colour]: RED – Got this one right off as the uniforms of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are iconic.
- 14A: [Killer role for Sandra Oh?]: EVE – I’ve heard of but never watched Killing Eve, so didn’t know this until getting the crosses. I also did not know that Sandra Oh is Canadian and was born near Ottawa.
- 38D: [Montreal’s Rive-___ (South Shore)]: SUD – No problem getting this even without the parenthetical help as it was likely to be a direction.
- 54D: [____ Rowe, host of CBC Radio’s “The Doc Project”]: ACEY – Here’s that Canadian reporter I was afraid of in 56A. Definitely needed all the crosses for this one
- 58D: [Actress Long or Vardalos]: NIA – OK – I just discovered my 2nd previously-unknown-to-me-that-she-was-Canadian actress in this puzzle – Nia Vardalos, born in Winnipeg.
Other stuff:
- 21A: [Pucker-inducing brew]: SOUR ALE – IPAs have been in style both at brew pubs and in crosswords for a few years now, so now it’s gose‘s time in the spotlight I guess.
- 27A: [Blew up on Twitter]: TRENDED – I tried to fit “went viral” in here and then thought there was another term for that but ultimately got enough crosses.
- 28D: [Continually read a depressing feed]: DOOM SCROLL – I am quite guilty of this. And very nice to cross it with 27A.
- 35D: [Cut off economically]: SANCTION – This word is in the news a lot recently…
- 40A: [Lauren _____ of “The Love Boat”]: TEWES – Now that’s a blast from the past; I had a huge crush on Julie McCoy when I was a lad, and I recall “Tewes” was often an entry in crosswords with its useful and common letters.
- 55A: [Home to Tahrir Square]: CAIRO – Also a city at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
Quote of the week:
In science, ‘fact’ can only mean ‘confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.’ I suppose that apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms.
– Stephen Jay Gould